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* AffablyEvil: Lisowski always, in each and every case, throws in simple acts of kindness, regardless of the shady things he's pulling. [[spoiler: And then he shows [[FauxAffablyEvil his true colours]]]].
* TheAlcoholic: Trybus. It's an OpenSecret for everyone in his parish.
* AlcoholicParent: First time we see them, Rysiek's are both too drunk to even wake up when father Kukuła comes to visit.
* AbusiveParents: Rysiek is beaten when his are sober enough to hit him, and forgotten completely when they're hammered. He has to provide for himself on a regular basis and more or less just resigned to his fate.
* AmbitionIsEvil: Priest Lisowski dreams about a cosy job in Vatican. Nothing will stop him, or even slow him down. ''Nothing''.
* TheAtoner: A possible interpretation of Lisowski's good actions (and manipulating others into good deeds) - for all his corruption and machinations, he forces a lot of people, ''including TheMafiya preparing to wax him'', to perform good deeds in the process.
* TheBadGuyWins:
** Mordowicz gets his sanctuary started and [[spoiler: all the pedo accusations within his Curia are dropped]].
** [[spoiler: Using [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bastardry]], Lisowski kills the investigation against pedophilia, prevents anything even resembling internal reform and gets a cozy spot in Vatican, just as he wanted]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Both the priest Lisowski and the archbishop Mordowicz. While Lisowski is just a lowly bureaucrat staying in the shadows, the archbishop manages to [[VillainWithGoodPublicity maintain a public image of a good shephard, despite what he does]].
* ChainOfDeals: Lisowski performs an entire string of exchanges and shady deals, using each of his potential enemies against another and also [[ThrowTheDogABone throwing few bones to the dog]] in the process.
* CharacterDevelopment: Trybus goes from depressive alcoholic and promiscious priest into dedicated partner and caring person, but it costs him an arm and a leg to get there.
* CorruptChurch: That's what the movie is about.
* CorruptPolitician: The archbishop dealing with few [=MPs=] and the politicians entering various deals with the Curia, with mutual exchange of bribes and favours.
* CunningLinguist: Lisowski is fluent in ''at least'' English, German and Italian.
* DevilInPlainSight: Archbishop [[MeaningfulName Mordowicz]], regarded by the lay people as just a boring archbishop.
* DirtyCop: Heavily downplayed, but father Kukuła manages to go everyone free when drunk Lisowski and Trybus cause trouble - he does that simply by calling the commissioner.
* DisappearedDad: The dad of Zosia, Hanka's daughter, is completely unknown.
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Lisowski wins. Mordowicz and rest of the Curia quell all the newspaper investigations and media craze. All possibility of even tiniest of reforms is prevented. Kukuła, the only outright good one of the trio of friends, kills himself by self-immolation. And Trybus ultimately leaves clergy, but at least he is on a path of moral recovery and sorting his life out]].
* DrunkDriver: The opening. Eventually, Trybus is left convinced that he killed a man during his stunt in the rain.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Trybus goes through a lot and ultimately [[spoiler: quits clergy, but he is trying to make a family with a woman he loves and be a good father for the baby in the way]]. Most importantly, he is happier at the end of the story than he was at the beginning.
* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: [[spoiler: Lisowski is a truly depraved, power-hungry, self-centered individual, who actively uses his image of aging, polite and soft-spoken priest for his advantage]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: In-universe reputation of archbishop Mordowicz. Many people are aware of his evil antics and machinations, but he gets scot-free most of the time.
* FreezeFrameBonus: The two nuns holding hands in the crowd in the end.
* FriendToAllChildren:
** Kukuła is training the football team in an elementary school and shows genuine care for mistreated Rysiek. When he's suddenly charged of paedophilia, everyone thinks he did all this just to be closer to young boys.
** Lisowski always makes sure to help orphans and needy children in general, as part of his FreudianExcuse [[spoiler: of being an orphan. The fact he might be a paedo himself puts it in different light yet again]].
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Lisowski has been brought up in an OrphanageOfFear run by NunTooHoly; by the end of the story, he joins a congregation in Vatican and plays everyone to do his whims, all the while remaining squeeky clean himself.
* GlamorousSingleMother: Anna Zakrzewska, the reporter. Further contrasted with Hanka, who barely has the means to keep her daughter fed, and fashion is way out of her reach.
* GoodShepherd: Kukuła, for all his personal failings, is still a dedicated priest trying to help everyone in his parish.
* GoodTimesMontage: In the ending. [[spoiler: And inverted, since the entire Curia is celebrating their ''successful squash of journalistic investigation'' and having the time of their life because of it. Directly cut to the faces of victims of paedo priests from the documentary film they've managed to suppress from being published]].
* GullibleLemmings: The lay people in general, regardless of who is manipulating them at any given moment.
* IntrepidReporter: Anna Zakrzewska, the reporter about to reveal the corruption scandal against Lisowski. She still gives him time to express his version of the events, but openly says the text will be published in two days, with or without the priest's commentary.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Lisowski offsets all his depravity with minor acts of good. [[spoiler: [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk And then you learn he's most likely a paedophile]]]].
* LittlestCancerPatient: Lisowski visits children from oncological ward and ends up having a very hard time talking with a boy too young to even speak properly, but already dying of cancer. All he is capable of is giving the old and tired talk about God wanting certain people sooner in His kingdom, while being clearly uncomfortable with saying it.
* ManipulativeBastard: Lisowski's literal job in the Curia is to manipulate the press and contractors building the sanctuary.
* MeaningfulName:
** Lisowski, derived from "lis" - [[CunningLikeAFox a fox]].
** Somewhat LostInTranslation, but Mordowicz is clearly derived from "morda" - mug, but also muzzle. "Morda" is also used for someone you can make illegal acts with, a sort of partner-in-crime.
* TheMobBossIsScarier: Lisowski goes through hell and high water to make sure the tender for heating the sanctuary goes to a specific shady dude rather than the ''other'' shady types. Solely because his life would be in direct danger if he doesn't deliver.
* NeverTrustATrailer: This is ''not'' a comedy poking fun at layabout priests. And even if there is some humour into it, [[BlackComedy it's as black as humanly possible]].
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: If you know who-is-who in the Catholic Church hierarchy in Poland, along with local political scenes, there are countless direct jabs toward specific public figures that never become too blatant, but are very obviously meant to represent specific people. This was part of the reason why Polish Episcopal Conference doubled down on attacks toward the film right after premiere.
* NobleDemon: Lisowski, who always tries to do at least some good on the side. [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted, as he's revealed as a self-serving paedo]].
* NunTooHoly: The head of the OrphanageOfFear, sister Jukunda, who ran the place worse than a maximum security prison.
* NunsAreSpooky: Sister Jukunda definitely is, even as an old, frail woman.
* PaedoHunt: Pretty much literally, since Kukuła ends up chased like a wild animal and barely avoids a brutal beat-up. [[spoiler: And he is ''innocent'']].
* PedophilePriest: Big part of the movie is how the Church hierarchy is doing their very best to shove this problem under the carpet.
* RedHerring: [[spoiler: Trybus didn't kill anyone with his DrunkDriver moment - it was a stray dog that he hit. He's still consumed by the guilt]].
* RetiredMonster: Father Stanisław, [[spoiler: who abused young Kukuła]], is living a calm life in a home for retired priests, free of any charges.
* TheReveal: Quite a few
** Kukuła was abused by his parson as a kid. [[spoiler: And he's not a paedo himself]].
** Lisowski was brought up in an orphanage run by nuns and is still traumatised by it, some 50 years later.
* RuleOfSymbolism: The crowd forms a triangle resembling the sing of divine providence in the final shot.
* SignatureStyle: Heavy-hitting, controversial movie with an extremely bitter pill to swallow in the form of the ending and aesop, combined with quick editing techniques and droning music - classic Smarzowski. And just like his other works, it's not what it initially appears to be.
* SinisterMinister: Archbishop Mordowicz and priest Lisowski. There is also the priest running a meeting for far-right militia in his office.
* TorchesAndPitchforks: The lynching mob after Kukuła carries wooden railings to beat him up with, probably with lethal intent.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Ho, boy... Where to even start? It could be said the entire titular clergy is this.
* WhosLaughingNow: Lisowski beating Mordowicz in their game of politics.


* AmbigiousEnding: While the final few scenes aim toward DownerEnding, [[spoiler: there is still a chance the media craze around Kukuła's self-immolation is going to bring at least a portion of the dirt surrounding his suicide out. Of course, the film makes it crystal clear the Church hierarchy is immovable, but the scandal is still going to happen, for whatever it will bring]].
* AmbiguouslyGay: Two of the priests working as low-level bureaucrats in the Curia have a relationship that isn't exactly friendship anymore and there are sexual undertones in their dialogues, but not much of it is shown. [[spoiler: Far less ambigious with the two nuns during the final, as they hold hands together and exchange lustful looks]].
* AndThatLittleGirlWasMe: Before giving blessing by the end of a mass, Kukuła starts telling to the people gathered in the church a story, in a typical style of a sermon anecdote. Only this time it's about [[spoiler: a young boy from poor family who was repeatively raped by his parson, beaten for "lying" by own disbelieving father and eventually becoming a priest himself, spending his entire life on attempt to bury the past]]. By the end of it, he barely controls his voice and is openly crying.
* ArcWords: "The good of the Church demands it". Read: maintaining StatusQuo by ''all'' means possible and interpreting Church as an institution and hierarchy, rather than a community or service.
* {{Blackmail}}: Lisowski [[spoiler: gets his hands on an old VHS tape with archbishop Mordowicz playing around with a dominatrix. He instantly uses it once Mordowicz receives a confidential letter from Kukuła, exposing all the machinations and paedophilia of Lisowski]].
* BreakTheCutie: The vicar from Kukuła's parish is a young, idealistic, still uncorrupted priest. He then has to observe all the shit unfolding in relation with Kukuła and face reprisal by proxy just for being a priest himself. [[spoiler: He ends up so beaten down and disillusioned, he starts contemplating quitting clergy out of disgust ''and'' fear - until Kukuła talks him out of it]].
* BrickJoke: Earlier on, it's mentioned that no bishop is ever going to waddle through mud, especially not the archbishop Mordowicz. Three guesses what he ends up doing in the third act.
* BuyThemOff: Lisowski's routine way of dealing with most people is to simply bribe them with loads of cash or even more valuable favours. The only time it fails is when he's facing [[spoiler: Kukuła]] and offering him money to stay silent. All this achieves is dead-setting [[spoiler: Kukuła]] on the path to expose everything.
* CerebusSyndrome: The story starts as a BlackComedy and then slowly, but surely sheds more and more of the comedic elements, until there is nothing but pure tragedy left behind.
* ExtremelyShortTimespan: Despite appearing to be spread over few weeks, if not months, the entire plot happens within 11 days. Due to editing and the plot following three different characters, it's very easy to miss the actual flow of time, through.
* FormerRegimePersonnel: The new "winner" of the tender for heating in the constructed sanctuary used to be member of police section dedicated to assaults against clergy during the communist days. Which Lisowski learns from... a former member of [[StateSec Security Service]], who now makes a living trading informations about old archive content[[note]]It's 30 years in-universe since the communists were deposed, so those are all people closing to or past their 60s[[/note]].
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: While Mordowicz is busy chewing out Lisowski and explaining him the situation regarding the letter he just received, in the background another priest is busy cleaning the archbishop's shoes from mud he had to walk through.
* HypocriticalHumor: Most of the humour comes from the extreme levels of cynicism and hypocrisy displayed by various priests. And as the plot progresses, the jokes slowly start to die, leaving only bigger dose of bitter hypocrisy behind.
* KangarooCourt: After 30 years of living under the burden, a man eventually comes forward with a case of being sexually abused by his parson when he was a child. He faces a colegial court within the Curia which does nothing but belittle, threaten and insult the man for "attacking the Christ's Church for media plaudit", ignoring entirely his plight and instead insisting the priest in question is the victim here.
-->'''The Victim''': (after long, StunnedSilence) What are you doing? For God's sake... What are you doing?
* LastNameBasis: All three main characters. And each of them is adressed exactly once by their first name, so it's Fathers: Andrzej Kukuła, [[AlliterativeName Tadeusz Trybus and Leszek Lisowski]].
* MedalOfDishonor: Trybus is sincerely called "a good man" by a widow trying to bury her husband when he denies taking any money for the service. [[spoiler: The priest is certain he was the one who run over the man while drunk-driving and is struggling under the guilt ever since]].
* NeverMyFault: The Curia never, ever, under any circumstances, accepts their blame for anything at all. More, they actively use this tactic for PR reasons, always claiming actions being conducted by "rogue priests" and "people who denied offered help", despite first throwing said people under the train.
* OpenSecret: It's implied people in his parish know about Trybus alcoholism, but just roll with it and never discuss the matter.
* RealityHasNoSubtitles: Aside of Polish, there are dialogues in Italian, German, Czech and Ukrainian. All left untranslated.
** In case of Italian, some if it is ''reverse-translated'': Lisowski, as test of his own language skills, repeat various conversations he hears in Italian, but good luck figuring it out on your own if you don't know either Italian or Polish.
* WhamLine: Two
** Trybus is drinking himself into a stupor, until Hanka angrily stops him with just three words.
-->'''Lisowski''': [[spoiler: I am pregnant]].
** After [[sooiler: Lisowski]] is informed by [[spoiler: archbishop Mordowicz]] the Church is not going to protect him.
-->'''Lisowski''': [[spoiler: Are you sure, [[{{Blackmail}} comrade Piglet]]]]?






YMMV
* HarsherInHindsight: In slightly over a year after premiere, a nation-wide scandal involving ''dozens'' of pedophile priests erupted, along with revealing the Church hierarchy was sweeping it all under the rug for years. What was meant as an overblown caricature of the whole issue became ''more tame'' than reality itself. Extra points for the fact archbishop Głódź, the real basis for fictional archbishop Mordowicz, was revealed to be doing ''exactly same thing'' with hiding sexual abusers in his archdiocese and manipulating media over it, despite at the time of filming he was mostly known for being "barely" a greedy and boastful drunkard.
* MemeticMutation: The infamous "[[CorruptChurch Golden, yet humble]]" line instantly entered coloquial Polish.
* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: Since the sole trailer of the movie caused an extremely strong reaction from conservative wing of the Catholic Church hierarchy in Poland ''and'' even stronger right-wing political reaction, it fuelled attendance to the movie, as everyone wanted to know what's all that fuss about. The result? The best opening weekend in 40 years and many cinemas selling all the tickets out days in advance. The unintended free marketing the movie had during just three weeks prior to its premiere is estimated to be worth 65 million złotych, while the production budget was just 10 million and actual marketing campaign counted as less than half a million.
* OvershadowedByControversy: As stated above, the already heavy-hitting movie only managed to gain extra momentum when Church representatives started a fierce campaign against it, soon joined by politicians and far-right groups. Minor acts of vandalism against posters and withdrawal of certain cinemas from distributing the movie followed even before the premiere, ''further fuelling interest in the movie''.

Trivia
* CaliforniaDoubling: Large sections of the film were filmed in Czech Republic.
* PlayingAgainstType: Jacek Braciak is usually cast as push-overs or ExtremeDoormat characters and rarely as part of the main cast. His priest Lisowski is a cunning, extremely ambitious political animal keeping everyone in check and using people as pawns for minor favours. On meta-level, the character still ''looks'' like a harmless wimp, so nobody takes him seriously, until they try to double-cross him.
* SleeperHit: Downplayed. While it was obvious from the very start this film would easily attract interest due to the subject and director, nobody expected breaking the box-office records and attendance so high that tickets had to be booked few days in advance.
* WorkingTitle: "3"
     
 
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