El Club

(50th KVIFF) A peek into the rotten bowels of the Catholic Church. A house in the outskirts of a small fishing village in Chile where a group of excommunicated priests live; the Church has hidden them there before their transgressions could cause a scandal in the civilised world. They are watched by a nun and the group get over their boring life training a racing greyhound. The turning point comes when one of the priests, accused of sexually abusing little boys, commits suicide. This brings in an envoy from the Vatican tasked with sorting out the situation. But, as it becomes gradually clear, he won’t behave according to his virtuous Christian teachings, either. The Club is an unpleasant and unfriendly film to look at and it requires patience from the viewer. Unlike many other festival films, though, this one has something to say and says it without compromise or watering down. The climax is crushing, though it could have finished a few minutes earlier. 80 % (11.07.2015)

Indefensibly tense form, disgusting visual, tendency toward extortion, abbreviated psychologization of characters and populist solution of moral dilemmas. The incredibly annoying character of Maradona, who was sodomized by a pastor in his youth, which is reflected in the fact that he runs around the countryside and describes the taste of sperm and the regularity of swallowing cocks. I was moved from heel to foreskin. From my point of view, a huge failure by a popular filmmaker. #kviff2015 (12.07.2015)