"THE CLUB is cloistered in a jerkwater Chilean beach town, where four defrocked priests reside in a house superintended by a caretaker, ex-nun Sister Mónica (Zegers). Disgraced by their conducts (among which are homosexuality, child trafficking, whistleblowing, etc.),the priests are consigned to repent and live modestly and inconspicuously. But after a fifth arrives, Padre Lazcano (a distinctive-looking Soza),who later shots himself when confronted by Sandokan (Farías),a victim of his pedophilia, now damaged goods. Consequentially, the Curia sends a spiritual director Padre García (Alonso) to investigate the incident, check on the priests and mull over the possibility of closing the house. Dirts will be dug, punishment metered out, damage maximally contained while Larraín and co. Vehemently tears off the fig leaf of the Church's hypocrisy."

read my full review on my blog: Cinema Omnivore, thanks.

My, this is one forthright and uncompromising. One reviewer suggested this was one club he did not wish to be a member of - what an understatement! Set in a godforsaken western coastal town in Chile, the muted colours and dulled visuals match the dour subject matter, if not the depths of degradation and abuse of power depicted here. Verbal depiction only, thank goodness, as this awful tale of bad catholic priests, really bad catholic priests and barely believably bad catholic priests, unfolds in a house for the repentant sinners. Except they are not repentant at all and seem to view their living quarters as some vaguely inconvenient holiday home. A devastating film of crimes against children made all the worse for the winging and wining manner that the various 'inmates' justify or even boast of their appalling past activities. Grim but essential viewing for anyone not fully aware of just how terrible and just how widespread and all consuming these practices were (are!!).

"The Club" in question is a community of disgraced priests and one nun condemned to live together in a remote coastal resort as penance for past sins, mostly involving the sexual abuse of children. After one of them blows his brains out another priest, a counsellor, is sent to investigate and to keep them in line. Pablo Larrain's extraordinary film is totally unlike any other dealing with abuse inside the Church. It plays like a thriller but is actually about social injustice and is deeply critical of the Catholic Church and I think it's a masterpiece; (it's also very explicit and very disturbing).

Larrain shoots it in Cinemascope in hues of mostly grey and brown as if we were peering through a fog, both literal and metaphorical, to see what is happening. The performances throughout are superb; you never get a sense that anyone is acting here, (it helps that none of the actors are familiar),and the use of locations is inspired. The grimness of the settings is perfectly in keeping with the theme. Far from easy viewing but absolutely essential.