Synopsis
The contemporary story of a priest who launches a centre for troubled youth in a small parish. He is a good priest and is well-liked by his congregation, which remains unaware of his complicated past.
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Cast
- Andrzej Chyraksiądz Adam
- Mateusz KościukiewiczŁukasz
- Maja OstaszewskaEwa
- Maria MajMatka Łukasza
- Łukasz SimlatNauczyciel Michał
- Tomasz SchuchardtAdrian
- Kamil AdamowiczRudy
- Mateusz GajkoGajo
- Jakub GentekKoko
- Daniel ŚwiderskiBabun
Recommendations
- 70
Village Voice
A nuanced, character-driven critique of the Catholic Church and its regressive stance on homosexuality. - 70
Los Angeles Times
Despite some diffused messaging and oddly elliptical storytelling, "In the Name Of" proves an absorbing, at times hypnotic drama about religion, repression and sexuality. - 60
The Guardian
Co-writer/ director Malgorzata Szumowska, improving upon 2011's Elles, downplays the conflicts in a scenario apparently ripe for torrid melodrama, allowing the story and characters to reveal themselves at their own pace. - 60
The New York Times
Encouraging sensitive performances that mitigate the film’s sluggish pace and fuzzy narrative, Ms. Szumowska juxtaposes two-person scenes of wordless intimacy with group expressions of casual violence. - 50
Slant Magazine
This Polish "gay priest tempted" drama is almost as confused about the moral quandaries of its characters as they are. - 50
New York Post
The second half is therefore much more interesting than the first; even so, the whole movie suffers from a lack of narrative momentum and a surfeit of wordless shots of men exchanging deep, meaningful glances. - 40
The Dissolve
In The Name Of… might have worked moderately well as a character study, if not for the film’s insistence on treating other priests as mustache-twirling villains. - 30
Variety
While thesps Chyra and Kosciukiewicz... embody the physical aspect of their characters’ relationship comfortably enough, their pairing as lovers lacks both chemistry and narrative credibility.
