The fourth film about sexual abuse to be released in Germany in May 1995 is about priest Greg Pilkington, whose first appointment is to a church in Liverpool. Young, smart, ambitious and, not least, attractive, he is portrayed by Antonia Bird, in her feature film debut, as a hero with major problems he has to overcome.

But take note, despite being excellently portrayed, this priest is not a contender for hero status. Although the film gets off to a promising start as a critique of the Catholic church, when Greg's predecessor, in an apparent moment of a deep crisis of faith, walks through the town carrying "his" cross to use it as a battering ram at the bishop's residence, such substance is elsewhere lacking – in comparison to its lesbian counterpart at the 1995 Berlinale, When Night is Falling.

Greg Pilkington gradually immerses himself in the problems of his congregation, then judges his colleague Matthew Thomas, with whom he lives, for sharing a bed with the housekeeper Maria Kerrigan, before going on to getting his leathers out of the wardrobe and going on down to the nearest gay bar on the pull.

A heroic film character does not need to be whiter-than-white, but what Greg gets up to – or fails to get up to – in the course of the film is rather problematic.

The next thing he does is to keep his sexuality secret, which is understandable. But then he refuses his lover Graham Holy Communion during mass. Then he learns at confession of the continual sexual abuse of schoolgirl Lisa Unsworth by her father. Certainly, Greg is shocked and tries to put a stop to it. But when he has no success, and the outrageous father reminds him of the seal of the confessional, Greg does nothing pragmatic, but sinks into self-pity.

Yes, there are rules which where made years ago by other people, like the seal of the confessional, but sometimes these just have to be bent, if necessary. Even if he doesn't report it anonymously he could, say, use the collection to chase the man out of town. But never mind, a moment of dramatic cowardice, and it does come to light after all. Were it not for a coincidence, and the father carried on abusing the girl, the young director would certainly not have got any standing ovations at the Panorama of the Berlinale.

But as a man who, because of the problems he gets from the church due to his homosexuality, has the audience's sympathy, he is allowed to burst into tears over the girl in the final sequence, may she carry this burden too!

At least Lisa's mother gives him a real ear-bashing, before throwing out her husband. Let's have a film about this character!

Deutsche Version

Another gay priest having problems with abuse: Pianese Nunzio Fouteen in May