While the movie industry has long held a fascination with films about Catholic priests, it has certainly come a long way from the benign depiction of the clergy as evidenced by Bing Crosby in Going My Way.
Too often, today, members of the clergy are depicted as having transferred their allegiance to the Devil and become corrupt members of society. One needs to reach no further back than Wonka, now in current release, to see a portrait of a corrupt priest, albeit one intended to be a figure of fun.
How good it is, then, to be able to access on Netflix the Polish movie Johnny, which not only presents a portrait of a dedicated, truly holy priest, but has also the further merit of being based squarely on the life of a real-life member of the clergy
Johnny, released in 2022, tells the story of Jan Kaczkowski, a priest ministering to a Polish community that apparently was somewhat unwelcoming to newcomers. Despite that, Father Jan was determined to build a hospice, responding to his own special calling to minister to the dying. And, as the concluding moments of the film indicate, this is certainly a fact-based portrait of a dedicated Catholic priest and his life-altering friendship with a rebellious young man – and perhaps all the more remarkable because of that.
It is true that the film deals too sketchily with the opening events of the narrative, but the important thing is that Father Jan was successful in his endeavour. Sadly, however, shortly after setting up the hospice, he himself was diagnosed with cancer. Despite his own impending death, he continued to respond to his vocation, providing solace to the dying patients and their families.
As a further burden, Father Jan was also called upon to accept in the hospice a small-time crook with deep-rooted anger issues who is sentenced to carry out community service hours at the hospice.
What follows is a story that seems to have been developed according to the cliches of Hollywood screen dramas – a story of growing friendship, self-realization, and redemption. Indeed, if the narrative were not based on actual events, one might dismiss the film as a Hallmark feel-good fantasy.
Instead, it serves as a remarkable tribute to an extraordinary but apparently ordinary priest, fulfilling his vocation to serve both the physically healthy and the dying. While his gentle, patient ministering clearly impacted hugely on those with whom he worked, the film makes clear that he lived and left behind a message of great value for all of us: the biggest gift we can give to others is time.
It’s a simple message about a simple man and his relationship with an injured, suffering, but otherwise unremarkable soul. And because it presents a narrative about two such apparently ordinary people, it is a film which will resonate with many of us ordinary people.
This is indeed a portrait of a priest which is both uplifting and fascinating. Johnny is a film that is truly deserving of a big audience.
Share your thoughts and contribute to the ongoing conversation by sending us a Letter to the Editor.