When I finally chose Pilgrimage (2017), it was with a sigh.  By all outward appearances, I should not have had any trepidation.  It is a historically based film about a fictional relic venerated by the Catholic Church.  Such a plot should be tailor made for a Catholic film reviewer such as myself with an advanced degree in history.  Further, I have been listening Gone Medieval (2021-present) religiously (no pun intended) for a few months now.  Doing so has made me want to watch more films that deal with that period in human history between the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance.  Just do not call it the Dark Ages!  Pilgrimage falls squarely within those centuries.  With all this in mind, why would I have any worries about Pilgrimage?  In short, it is the result of my experience with the way movies treat Catholicism, especially in the past.  My assumptions as to how this would go proved mostly correct, and I am here to tell you about the rest.

I am not here to tell you in any detail about St. Matthias (Nikos Karathanos), the Apostle who replaced Judas, who is martyred in Cappadocia in 55 AD at the beginning of Pilgrimage.  The means by which he achieves this holy death is stoning, and the rock who fells him comes to rest at a monastery in Ireland in 1209.  Because of its importance, the brothers responsible for it are protective of it.  Hence, when novice Brother Diarmuid (Tom Holland) sees riders approaching, he runs to warn the Abbot (Donncha Crowley).  The Abbot is more composed than the young novice, ordering the boy and the rest of the monks to carry on with their day.  They are at prayer when a French Cistercian monk, Brother Geraldus (Stanley Weber), comes and waits outside their chapel.  Once they get a chance to speak, Brother Geraldus hands the Abbot a letter from Pope Innocent III (not pictured) requesting that the monastery’s precious relic be transferred to Rome.  The Abbot is not happy with this order, citing the dangers of transporting it so far, but he obeys.  To accompany it are chosen Brother Diarmuid because he has not seen any of the world, and their lay brother known simply as The Mute (Jon Bernthal).  The Mute is a mystery to the monks, but we later learn that he had been a crusader, washing up on the shore near the monastery, and serving the community for the past five years.  For a time, they are shadowed by a few warriors that had come with Brother Geraldus until they reach a point beyond which they will not go.  They are replaced by Norman soldiers led by Raymond de Merville (Richard Armitage).  He is part of the ongoing Norman invasion of Ireland by the English, and the constant fighting between the two sides makes the trek perilous.  Nonetheless, Brother Geraldus convinces Raymond to bring them to his father, the Baron de Merville (Eric Gordon), who is in charge of the larger Norman force.  The Baron had once been a crusader, too, but in his old age he has been seeking penance for what he did in the name of God.  To further his turn to holiness, the Baron requests to see the relic despite the monks’ misgivings.  It is Brother Geraldus who accedes to the viewing, eager to please the Norman troops.  The next day the journey recommences with Raymond providing the guard.  They are halted when they come to a river crossing and find the bridge destroyed, the evidence pointing to a band of local Irish raiders as the culprits.  Raymond tells them that he is going to return to his father for reinforcements, leaving a small contingent with the monks and the relic.  Venturing through a forest, they are ambushed by the same attackers.  During the skirmish, though knocked out in the early going, The Mute comes to life to protect Brother Diarmuid and to try to stop the relic from being stolen.  With some problematic encouragement (more on the later) from Brother Geraldus, they track the pilfered item back to the Irish camp.  Not only do they spot the relic’s golden case, but they also notice that Brother Ciarán (John Lynch), who had thrown his body over the box during the fighting, is still alive.  Against Brother Geraldus wishes, Brother Diarmuid tries to save Brother Ciarán.  Instead, Brother Ciarán indicates that he had thrown the rock off the cart and tells Brother Diarmuid where it is before requesting that the rest save themselves.  As this is happening, Raymond appears in the Irish settlement, conversing with their leader.  Raymond had made a deal with the Irish to retrieve the relic, and is angry as only a villain can be when he finds it is not with his collaborators.  Brother Diarmuid and the rest locate it and now are on the run from Raymond and his henchmen.  Brother Diarmuid uses the rock to guide them through a foggy bog, hearing bells that lead them to a boat.  By paying some of the jewels retrieved from the relic’s box, they are able to get the reluctant boatsmen to ferry them down the river to the coast.  Unfortunately, they arrive at low tide and are stopped.  At the same time, Raymond’s men have caught up with the monks.  At Brother Geraldus’ frenzied demand, The Mute goes to slow the Normans, allowing the others to escape.  Brother Diarmuid is shocked by Brother Geraldus’ behavior, the latter of whom tries to choke the former when Brother Diarmuid goes to throw the relic overboard.  Brother Diarmuid is saved when the vessel rocks Brother Geraldus into the water after wresting away the relic.  Brother Geraldus goes straight to the bottom after the relic.  With The Mute dying on the beach, the remaining oarsman asks Brother Diarmuid where the novice would like to go and the movie ends.

Brother Diarmuid and company had been making a Pilgrimage to Rome via Waterford in Ireland, the destination they are seemingly near at the end.  The fact that the Catholic Church could reach that far from Rome at that time is attested to in the film, but also historically speaking.  One of its strengths is how it shows a much more connected world than we typically assume existed when we think about the medieval world, albeit the one centered in Europe.  It also shows the Church as, more or less, being a neutral party to the ongoing wars between countries.  Albeit, it also discusses the role the Church played in the Crusades, but characters like Brother Diarmuid behave in a manner more in keeping with a monk’s calling.  I also appreciate how he is the one deemed pure enough to transport the relic when it is freed from the box.  It is a duty he does not take lightly given its apparent divine properties, but one he willingly performs.  Put differently, he has a sense of obedience to the will of God, and the ability to see his role in doing it.  It is Brother Geraldus who twists Church teaching, and why I sighed before the film started, and a few times in between.  Initially, I was ready to like him because he drinks from a stream instead of being stopped by local superstitions.  Yet, later on he uses propaganda developed by some in the Church during the Crusades in order to save himself, as takes place in the climactic scene.  We are all weak at moments like Brother Geraldus.  What gives me pause is how there are those who see his behavior as indicative of what the Church does to people.  His actions ignore the sanctity of life.  That all people are precious in the eyes of God is real Catholicism.

Indeed, I would say any time we get a character like Brother Geraldus in a movie, be it Pilgrimage or any other, there are those that claim that he represents “real” Catholicism.  What is more real about this film is its presentation of history, even if the language is anachronistic.  As such, this one is a mixed recommendation.