Clergy

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Movie
German title clergy
Original title Clergy
Country of production Poland
original language Polish
Publishing year 2018
length 134 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Wojciech Smarzowski
script Wojciech Smarzowski,
Wojciech Rzehak
production Świat cinema
music Mikołaj Trzaska
camera Tomasz Madejski
cut Paweł Laskowski
occupation

Kler (German title: Klerus ) is a Polish film from 2018 . The production, directed by Wojciech Smarzowski , was released in German cinemas on October 12, 2018 and addresses various abuses by priests of the Catholic Church .

action

The protagonists of the film are the three friends, priests Lisowski, Trybus and Kukuła, as well as their Archbishop Mordowicz. They all lead a double life that is not in line with the moral standards of the Catholic Church.

Lisowski ( Jacek Braciak ) works for the curia in a big city and dreams of a transfer to the Vatican . His superior, the politically influential Archbishop Mordowicz ( Janusz Gajos ), stands in the way of this transfer. He abused Lisowski's acumen and tendency to corruption to promote the construction of a new sanctuary and in this way to set a monument for himself. A flashback shows that the homosexual Lisowski grew up in a Catholic orphanage, where the children were humiliated and subjected to severe corporal punishment; he also witnessed an older boy raping smaller boys. Lisowski owns a luxury apartment, he drives an S-Class Mercedes . He secretly installs a camera in the archbishop's magnificent office. In this way he learns that Mordowicz, who has a white Bentley as his company car , receives prostitutes, puts on a pig mask during sexual games, lets himself be whipped and squeaks. When Mordowicz again refuses his request to be transferred to Rome, Lisowski squeaks briefly during the conversation. Mordowicz realizes that Lisowski could blackmail him in turn and finally agrees to the transfer. It is implied that Lisowski is already in contact with a gay group in the Vatican.

Trybus ( Robert Więckiewicz ) is a pastor in the country. Publicly preaching about morality, he has become addicted to alcohol and has a sexual relationship with his young housekeeper Hanka ( Joanna Kulig ). After learning that she is expecting him, he first urges her to have an abortion. In order to keep himself afloat financially, he leaves his church to decay and increasingly enriches himself with donations from the faithful, which he allows deep into his pockets for sacramental services. Eventually Trybus realizes that he loves Hanka. Ultimately, she opposed abortion; he promises her not to drink in the future. So that both of them can continue their relationship, he rents an apartment for her in the city. It is implied that he will give up his profession as a priest.

Kukuła ( Arkadiusz Jakubik ) is a pastor in a medium-sized town. He is the only one of the three priests who has fervently fallen for the faith and is committed to the welfare of the local youth. Although he knows how to use his relationships with local institutions such as the police, he is losing trust in the population because he is accused of pedophilia . One of his acolytes tries to commit suicide after an incident of abuse - although it is unclear who is responsible. Kukuła is able to convince the parishioners that the allegations against him are wrong. A flashback shows that Kukuła himself was abused by his chaplain as an altar boy. During a Sunday mass, he reported it to the shocked worshipers. He ended his life with a spectacular suicide: at the inauguration ceremony for the sanctuary promoted by Archbishop Mordowicz, he doused himself with gasoline during the Archbishop's sermon and set himself on fire.

production

The implementation of the film cost the equivalent of around 2.5 million euros. The film was shot in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , including Kraków and Brzesko . For some scenes you had to go to Orlová in the Czech Republic , because no parish in Poland was willing to make their church available for recordings.

Active and ex-priests provided advice throughout the production. Victims of sexual abuse by clergymen have their say in the film.

The film had its world premiere during the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia .

Reviews

The film sparked a heated debate about the role of the Polish Catholic Church in Poland in history and the presence of Poland from.

The priest Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski criticized the film as being subjective and tendentious. The director of the public broadcaster TVP , Jacek Kurski , described the film as a provocation. In several cities such as Ostrołęka or Ełk attempts were made to prevent the broadcast in cinemas. And Paweł Soloch , head of the national security authority in Poland, even compared the film with anti-Semitic productions of Nazi propaganda .

On the first weekend over 935,000 people saw the film, two weeks after its premiere a total of 2.5 million viewers. It was shown up to 24 times a day in a multiplex cinema in Zabrze . On November 18, 2018, over five million people saw him. In terms of viewership, it is (as of the end of 2018) the third most successful film in the history of Polish cinema after 1989, after Pan Tadeusz (over 6 million) and With Fire and Sword (over 7 million viewers).

The publicist Tomasz Raczek wrote that the film impressively shows the eradicability of the Catholic Church, as Andrzej Wajda once wanted to expose the erranibility of the socialist regime with The Man of Marble . Smarzowski does not want to hurt feelings, but rather stimulate thought, said the Bishop of Opole , Andrzej Czaja , positively about the film. The primate of the Catholic Church, Archbishop Wojciech Polak , commented on the film: “It may be an exaggerated reality, portrayed as a caricature, but we cannot say that it does not exist. For us, 'clergy' is a call for concrete work on ourselves, for changes in our foundations, for greater sensitivity. "

Smarzowski himself stated that he shot the film mainly because of the scandals within the Catholic Church in Western Europe and North America. He suggested that the office of priest was based on social trust. Clergymen are a moral example for believers and have to live honestly. He defended himself against accusations of deliberately discrediting the Church. Rather, he wants to make a contribution to the fact that people do not see priests as saints, but as fellow men who also have weaknesses.

Awards

The film won the main prize for best film of the year, the audience prize, the special prize of the jury and the prize for the best stage design at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia in 2018 .

Others

In March 2019, the Roman Catholic Church in Poland provided for the first time precise information on the extent of sexual abuse by clergy and religious .

The documentary Tylko nie mów nikomu ( Don't tell anyone ) was viewed more than 20 million times on YouTube in May 2019. The film has fueled a long smoldering debate about the Catholic Church and its role in Polish society.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski: Refleksje po obejrzeniu całego filmu "Kler". isakowicz.pl, August 13, 2018, accessed October 31, 2018 (Polish).
  2. ↑ Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski o "Klerze". onet.pl, September 13, 2018, accessed October 31, 2018 (Polish).
  3. ↑ a b “Clergy” ustanowił rekord polskiego kina. onet.pl, October 1, 2018, accessed October 31, 2018 (Polish).
  4. ↑ Ostrołęka zdejmuje film "Kler". wp.pl, September 23, 2018, accessed October 31, 2018 (Polish).
  5. ↑ "Clergy" zablokowany też w Ełku? Gazeta Wyborcza , September 28, 2018; accessed October 31, 2018 (Polish).
  6. ↑ Polska superprodukcja “Kler” bije rekord wszech czasów. Rzeczpospolita.pl, October 2, 2018, accessed October 31, 2018 (Polish).
  7. ↑ "Kler" zapisze się w historii kina. noizz.pl, October 3, 2018, accessed October 31, 2018 (Polish).
  8. ↑ [1] (Polish)
  9. ↑ "Kler" trzecim filmem po 1989 roku z 5-Milionowa widownią. filmweb.pl, November 16, 2018, accessed on November 16, 2018 (Polish).
  10. ↑ "Wspaniały, powalający, ważny i wielki film" - krytycy filmowi oceniają "Kler". press.pl, September 19, 2018, accessed October 31, 2018 (Polish).
  11. ↑ Biskup Czaja po obejrzeniu "Kleru" czasem mam do czynienia for Taka Patologia wśród Księży. deon.pl, October 2, 2018, accessed October 31, 2018 (Polish).
  12. ↑ Abp Wojcien Polak, Prymas Polski: Kościół nikogo never wyklucza in: Tygodnik Powszechny , October 14, 2018 S. 42nd
  13. ↑ Janusz Wróblewski: Wstajemy for kolan. Polityka , October 2, 2018, accessed October 31, 2018 (Polish, restricted access).
  14. ↑ Zima wojna o gorący "Kler" , in: Polityka, September 26, 2018, p. 101.
  15. ↑ domradio.de (March 15, 2019)
  16. ↑ spiegel.de May 25, 2019 / Jan Puhl: Poland's fight for the church