Conspiracy of Silence

Watched this film in 2010 on DVD on a rainy Friday evening in October - so this was ideal although sombre entertainment.

The film has a reasonably fast pace, a simple story line - a little preachy in its anti-celibacy message, but overall worthwhile, although the ending is a bit implausible.

It seems somewhat unrealistic that a seminary in today's Ireland would still exist with more than half a dozen trainees, and hard to believe that with such low numbers that they would so quickly expel a trainee without evidence. The film was made in 2003 before the onslaught of the fallout of the Catholic-Church-Protects-Paedophiles scandals, and to see the movie again in the knowledge of such events gives an added frisson - "the church is killing itself from the inside" is one of the quotes from the film.

The storyline involves celibate priests that are gay - it could just as easily have portrayed priests or bishops that have one or more children - but perhaps the movie had an agenda that was more than just anti-celibacy but also against the anti-gay homophobic nature of the roman-catholic hierarchy.

The film shows a statistic about 100,000 priests having quit because of the celibacy rule - but does'not show the numbers of priests in non-catholic Christian traditions who can marry but still leave their ministries anyway.

For a non-Irish audience some of the accents are difficult, and my DVD did not have a sub-title track for some reason.

A worthy film, if a little flawed, hope to see more from this director.

I saw this film on holiday in Galway. It was a headliner at the Galway Film Fleadh. The experience was rather surreal because most of the starring cast were present for the premiere.

John Deery examines the question of celibacy in the Catholic church with pride and skepticism. The viewer doesn't quite know which side he stands on, but he is clearly a devout Catholic as well as a fighter for a more just way of treating priests. Although a much less controversial treatment, this film is in the same vein as 1994's Priest. This film may be a little more universal and pleasing to one's own beliefs, though.

Actors Jonathan Forbes and Brenda Fricker have many pointed moments together on screen, but frankly that should come as no surprise. After all, what has Brenda Fricker ever been in that has been bad? All of the other actors do a fine job, as well.

I recommend that if you come across a screening of this film, to see it...especially if you are Catholic. If not, rent it.

First of all, I would like to comment on that review that characterized the maker of this movie as "a devout Catholic." Perhaps he is, but you'd never know it from this movie. Authority and obedience are portrayed as outdated and inflexible rituals rather than, as the Church teaches, a MEANS to the end: a moral life and therefore a good death. No, in this puff piece, "rights" and revolt are the safeguards of Christian moral teachings.

It's a real shame, too, because I was really hopeful that someone had finally done a piece about the general crisis in the priesthood without either whitewashing the depth and the gravity of the problem (as do most so-called "conservative" dupes) or calling for a radicalization of immutable Catholic doctrine and its underlying philosophy (as pretty much every run-of-the-mill left-liberal idiot in the "mainstream" media has done). There have been many bishops who have abused their authority and many priests who have done terrible things. And there is a serious accountability problem.

It's also a shame that a film with such high production value - very good directing and acting - had a script that falls back time and again on salacious voyeurism and trite contemporary banalities such as "I have a right to be here!" But there is one good didactic thing to take away from that moment. For a Catholic, to see a young seminarian protest so and then his seminary director reply coldly, "Not in here, you don't" is as much a sad reflection of the failing of the director as it is a pathetic portrait of the young man's effeminacy: why did the director not make it a point to emphasize the virtue of obedience to his seminarians first thing and thereby avoid having to hear them spit out such false nonsense? Why and how did he fail to establish a relationship of trust with them? The film never explores those questions.

And please, before anyone tries to give me the answer I think you're thinking, let me ask: how would "change" in the Church, through a more "liberal" and "democratic" ecclesiastical government, make the people more trusting of Church leaders? (Consider that the democratically elected U.S. Congress is one of the least-respected institutions in its country.)

Secrets & Details can have a reflect towards that Next Generation to come! I feel that how the decisions we make can either help us "OR" hurt us! It's how we interact! When I watched this Movie about Helen Betty Osborne! It stopped me on my track towards the way we become & may start with another but Ends with Ourselves! It's how we take things in & how we proceed with that! I Can Not find this Movie anywhere!! & how 1's Culture is like that Family Tree Either we Stand together "OR" Fall together together! I truly believe it's about understanding each other & what represent.....having Love!!!!

I am going to watch this movie in the next day or so. Preliminary to that, I scanned a few reviews here. I want to say, if you cannot write a film review without making your political views the centerpiece of your review, as at least one person did here, then please don't write a review, and if you are that person here, take your review down. I am sick and tired of having every politically relevant film ... or book .. be treated as a reason to get up on a personal political soapbox. I don't give a rat's you know what, what your political views are. I am not here for political commentary. I want to know about the film, and only the film. If you can't write about that, then go away. I will be back with my review of this film in the next day or so after I have seen it. Meanwhile I am giving it the average number of stars it has now, so as not to skew the aggregate rating. You're welcome.