CFF60 review - THE CLUB by Pablo Larrain

The Catholic Church - united they stand, divided they fall. More than a strong voiced exposé, THE CLUB by PABLO LARRAIN feels much like an act of confession, with no guarantee that no sin will ever again be committed. The film was featured in the programme of the 60th edition of the Cork Film Festival.

FATHER TED is a highly praised sitcom which was initially deemed as controversial due to its ahead of its times depiction of the Catholic Church and its vices. Despite its comedic nature, it managed to touch upon many controversial aspects of the Catholic Church itself, desanctifying the figures of the priests who were portrayed as men vulnerable when confronted with sin and vice, or quite simply naive, immature if not downright simple minded. 

It is unusual how much THE CLUB, the latest feature by acclaimed director PABLO LARRAIN, seems to echo many of the elements of FATHER TED, despite of course the sharp difference in tone - it could well, in fact, be considered the filmmaker's darkest film to date. This is not only because the film manages to touch many of the most touchy subject that plague the perception of the Catholic Church in the eye of the public, but also because of the very sharp but essentially non-judgemental approach used by LARRAIN, in a film where there is no black or white as well as no perfectly defined good guys or bad guys. 

THE CLUB takes place in a similar setting as FATHER TED - a home inhabited by disgraced priests, whose crimes range from child abuse to baby-snatching from unwed women. The desolate beach town in THE CLUB echoes the similar desolation of Craggy Island, defined by endless empty landscape, upon which the camera is purposefully fixated, and which further enhances the imposing greying bleakness of the story, subjects and atmosphere. 

After a tragic event takes place in the film's first part, a crisis counsellor is sent to the home by the Catholic Church. His arrival is met with much hostility, as far from using the time to reflect upon their sins, the inhabitants of the home along with their former-nun carer, have set up quite a content lifestyle for themselves, watching reality TV, betting on dog races and even making a little money off of it.

A jesuit and reformist at heart, the crisis counsellor also seems to echo the parallel representation of the very current general state of the Catholic Church, and more precisely the current head of the Church, POPE FRANCIS. But even he is not completely sympathetic, and some of his stronger views can be downright obnoxious and extremist in their own right. Meanwhile, unusually, the discussions that take place between him and the inhabitants of the house allow for a more human insight in their complexity, dictated by unhappiness, regret and repression. 

Each of the characters have different types of personalities. The vociferous Padre Ortega (ALEJANDRO GOIC), who mouths off his half drunken ethical prose and disenchantment, opposes for instance the reserved calm of the repressed homosexual Padre Vidal (ALFREDO CASTRO, a favourite of LARRAIN, in a troublingly sensible and show stealing performance). Furthermore, the arrival of the traumatized eccentric Sandokan (ROBERTO FARIAS), who screams at them from outside their house leaves our religious gang all the more exposed and downright afraid. 

Nevertheless, there is something impenetrable about them, a coating of mystery that makes some of their abrupt choices and even detailed movements unusual. There is always a feeling of them playing a part, wearing a facade, much like actors or simply unwilling to let go of the power and status they enjoy as men of god. More than that, they are protected by the coating of secrecy, a fact which the Church is often accused of. Therefore, it is easy to see why the film was named THE CLUB, as essentially the film is about their strength in numbers - as individuals, each of the fugures look as if they could crumble and shatter to pieces. 

The overall feeling, however, is that in the end, THE CLUB is not necessarilty a film meant to feel like an exposé, put perhaps serve as a cinematic confession. A further fact that proves this is that it really takes no new and original digs at its underlying concept, and doesn't really use as strong a voice as one that has been used in other films before. Neither is there ever a hint at some type of moral conclusion to the tale. 

The narrative of the film and the human condition always remain at its forefront. It is easy to be absolutely immersed in it, given the masterful handling of pacing and the heavy atmosphere that form a perfect balance, also because of occasional tinges of absurdist humour and their alternation with outbursts of rage and emotions. The universality of the film is also testified by the fact that the exact location of its setting is never specified. Much to the credit of LARRAIN, for all its daring viewpoints, themes and issues, THE CLUB is very powerful and uncomfortable but never tasteless or exploitational.