Conspiracy of Silence

In the last decade or two a lot of news has come out about the Catholic Church's cover-up of pedophilia. John Deery's "Conspiracy of Silence" isn't about that but about something similar: the church's policy of celibacy. In this case, the suicide of a gay priest living with HIV and the expulsion of some students suspected of a same-sex relationship prompt an article questioning the rightness of the church's celibacy policy.

It seems very likely that forcing priests to be celibate increases the risk of the priests' molesting children. Relationships are natural among all species, and not letting people be in relationships can only damage them. This is not to be confused with pedophilia, which is a disease. But either way, the Catholic Church has had a history of suppressing all news of the molestations, as well as a history of homophobia.

"Conspiracy of Silence" isn't a great movie but does a good job looking at these different topics. It's all the more impressive considering that the director was a first timer. I recommend it.

Well told story (sorry, but I do suspend my disbelief whenever watching dramas) that's very well dramatised, about the controversial subject of celibacy among the priesthood of the Catholic church. You get a bit of a history lesson about the subject too. No doubt this film falls into the category of a film with a "message" to the Church itself, but that doesn't detract in any way from the entertainment value of the story if you're not Catholic and don't have an axe to grind about this subject.

Well acted, beautifully filmed and thoroughly entertaining - what more do I need? What's more, no big name actors, so you can concentrate and enjoy the story for what it is.

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.

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.

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!!!!