God given opportunity
Written and directed by
Anne Marie Kelly
GENESIS
In 1979, 1,250,000 people came to the Phoenix Park in Dublin, Ireland, to hear the Pope say Mass.
In 2018, a mere 130,000 people came to the Phoenix Park to hear the Pope say Mass, while thousands gathered, “Standing Together for Truth”, at the Garden of Remembrance to show their solidarity with the victims of clerical abuse.
Some of those in attendance at the mass spoke of “negativity” in the media as victims of abuse called for the Pope to address the wrong doings of his delegates. Some of those in attendance at the “Standing together for truth” gathering spoke of the abuse they had suffered, their friends who had died by their own hand, unable to overcome their experiences. They spoke of the cover ups by the Catholic Hierarchy who ensured that more children fell prey to the monsters in their midst. Then they walked in silence to stand outside the last Catholic Laundry to close while hymns of devotion were sung in the Phoenix Park at the Papal Mass.
RESPONSE
Bookended by the Papal Cross for context, using a style parable/fable like, we are brought into a tale of good and evil, of the high ideal at the birth of the Church, and the malignant reality of what it became and what it enabled. The characters and setting are old worldly, yet timeless, drawing the viewer into the relationship process of the two main characters, engaging, trusting, and feeling the betrayal personally when it ultimately comes.
It is the hope of the film maker, that as questions are provoked in the mind of the viewer, those who dismissed the calls for atonement will feel differently when they, themselves, feel a sense of hurt and shock.
Cast and crew
About the director
Anne Marie Kelly
Anne Marie Kelly has two distinct, yet complementary current career paths, one as a player in the world of the arts with productions in film and music, and the other as an Integrative Psychotherapist with a special interest in trauma, anxiety, panic and stress.
Statement:
In all areas of my work, truth, honesty and congruence with the self, is what drives me. Art and music of all mediums and genres, serves as my link to mental wellness as I process those disconnects, hurts and disenfranchisements that my therapeutic work brings.
Gallery
Film Festivals
