Purely Joyful Movie!

How sad is this?

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

In 13th century Ireland, a group of monks must escort a sacred relic across an Irish landscape fraught with peril. Despite good effort from Richard Armitage (Hobbit), Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and Jon Bernthal (The Punisher) this tale about monks and religion never hits the mark that it might have hoped it would. The acting was good but the plot? and the pacing? were boring and little did it happen in here. Pilgrimage has an interesting and talented cast for sure but it never uses it quite well and the slow pacing alongside with the boring plot make for a forgettable film and a waste of a great cast of actors. (5.0/10)

This one almost sneaked under my radar. Tom Holland plays an Irish monk, who is tasked among others to transport a holy relic to the Pope. It takes place during the darkest of medieval days, of wild Irish tribes and scant Xians to be found except among the Normans sent to escort the pilgrims. Richard Armitage plays the leader of the Normans, but his agenda is not exactly clear.The marriage of superstition and violence are on full display. The story could almost be the subject of a role playing game run by a DM who enjoys twists, turns, and betrayals. Slow developing, but very satisfying when the gloves come off and all is revealed. Gritty, could have been bloodier but we don't really need to swim in the blood, do we?I suspect this movie is obscure and might be hard to find. It is clearly not for everyone, but perhaps is just right for your enjoyment. If you like that sort of thing.

Originality in films is rare. Most are based on several well used formats with little or no changes from one to the next. So when a movie comes along that uses a plot device that you've not seen used prior it makes you curious. In some cases the result is bad, others perplexing and, as in the case of PILGRIMAGE quite nice.The year is 1209 and on a small island in Ireland a group of monks protects a sacred relic from the outside world. Then an emissary from the Pope arrives to tell them his holiness requires that the relic be transferred to Italy immediately. The monks are hesitant but follow the instructions sent by the Pope.So begins a journey to bring the relic back to the home of the Church. Among the group of monks is a young novice named Brother Diarmuid (Tom Holland), a wide eyed innocent who has not yet been exposed to the brutality of the world. By his side is a man known only as The Mute (Jon Bernthal), a man with a past having already fought in one Crusade or another. His silence is in part due to his penance for acts that occurred there. Also along are a few of the other monks as well as Brother Geraldus, the man sent by the Pope.There journey begins uneventful but as they travel they are intercepted by a group of knights, Normans the leader of which pays his respects and offers them safe passage in return for two items. First, he would like to see what the relic looks like. Second, absolution for the deaths he and his men have inflicted over the years.Both wishes are granted and the relic is revealed as an item touched by the hand of Matthias, the disciple chosen to replace Judas after his fall. It is said that the relic is blessed with that touch leaving it one of the holiest of items to be found. That the Pope wants it brought to Italy says it all.But there is betrayal to be found here as the son of this nobleman wants the relic for himself. Rather than aid the group in their travels he sends them into a trap only to catch up with those he employed later. With a few of the group uncaptured they try and reclaim the relic and continue on their journey. But this will not be an easy task. In the end the young Diarmuid must grow up and the Mute must put his faith on display by returning to old methods he'd chosen to leave behind. And just who is worthy of possession of the relic will be revealed.The first thing that makes this film different than most is the location and how it is displayed on screen. This is not the hilly Ireland full of lush green vegetation that we've grown accustomed to in films like THE QUIET MAN. Certainly there is plenty of green in the forest but the landscape is a bleak one displaying the problems that would have been faced not only in living off the land but in traversing it as well.The combination of not knowing exactly who the good guys and bad guys are also makes the film interesting. One is never quite sure just what and how valuable the relic is at first and once revealed the motivations of all involved in the handling of that relic come into question. So much so that the result of what happens with it shows that one considered worthy might actually have been the most destructive presence on the trip.The acting here is well done with much of the film spoken in several languages that make the subtitles a must have. Gaelic and French as well as English are spoken and each of the actors does a fine job switching from one to another. Holland, mostly known now for his role as Spider-man, shows a naivety that's required for the role. But it is Bernthal who stands out. He's made a name for himself over the past few years starring first in THE WALKING DEAD and racking up numerous credits since then. His silence here speaks volumes and his berserker skills make him a formidable combatant. But it is the display of faith through his actions and expressions that cause one to pay attention when he is on screen.This is not your average every day movie but that shouldn't stop you from seeking it out. The story is compelling and the acting, as stated, make it worth watching.

This strong, atmospheric, and beautifully-made little film did not disappoint based on reviews that either put it in the trash for "gratuitous violence" or gave it a firm pat on the head for a good attempt.I see the value in the latter assessment - working on a budget, this film does a lot with what it has, providing hauntingly beautiful vistas of an ancient Ireland and making its story stretch beyond its small shooting framework. The actors, too, make so much of the script they've been given, with great performances throughout. Although this does lead me onto the main drawback of the film: the characters are largely undeveloped, especially that of Diarmuid - who is the protagonist no less - and his Brothers. We can see that he cares about them a lot - after all, "the monastery is all he's ever known" - but more development would have been crucial to making me really care about whether they lived or died, failed or succeeded. The most interesting characters for me were Geraldus and the Mute, "grey" characters whose backstories are hinted at if never fully disclosed, and with sublime subtlety in the case of Bernthal's character. The characters we do get to truly see are rewarding, albeit darkly, and were one of the film's greatest triumphs - it just would have been great to see the same treatment given to the lead protagonist and primary villain.In the other camp, I don't think the story could have worked without the levels of violence, savagery, and loss that we see, which the viewer must witness with the same unblinking acceptance that the characters do. In this, there is a hidden depth to Pilgrimage, a story about Ireland, the land where "there was never peace". One review focused around the particular Irishness of the film rang true in some places - that the colour shown here is multiple shades of grey, and little green - if not in others. This is not a deconstruction of the "Irish" mythos, but it does touch, tenderly and reverentially, upon the idea of an unattainable relic: to know peace, both within and without, a dream not limited to this country but echoed in Jerusalem and beyond. Though it does not present its findings in a wholly satisfying parcel, the film did provoke thought about where that quest for peace could lead us next - to what bloody ends or watery graves? To what loss and to what triumphs?"Where to now?"