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Throughout
the 1970's Father Oliver O'Grady won the trust and respect of countless
parish's throughout Northern California, with one parishioner claiming
"He was as close to God" as she had met. Unbeknownst to them, O'Grady
was a dangerously active pedophile that Church hierarchy, who were
fully aware of his problem, had harbored for over 30 years.
This
is, in no uncertain terms, a difficult piece of cinema to watch. You
are torn between anger and empathy, fury and remorse - it's a roller
coaster of emotions unlike anything else you are likely to experience
on DVD this decade.
Through a series of candid interviews with
O'Grady's victims - and O'Grady himself - a deeply sordid tale of
corruption, heartbreak and perversion slowly unravels throughout the
deeply unsettling duration of the film.
The skill of Deliver Us From Evil
stems from the fact that there are just so many layers, so many themes
and stories explored seamlessly. From the heartbreaking tales expressed
by the victims of the parents (on more than one occasion, you as a
viewer, will struggle to hold back tears) to the often disarmingly
charming and disturbing open confession by O'Grady himself (he seems
oblivious to the seriousness of what he's done, and seems to show
little remorse for the continuation of his actions), to watching the
big wigs of the Church sweat under investigation regarding their thirty
years of cover ups - there is just so much covered.
It's
astonishing to think that over one billion dollars has been spent by
the church paying off the 100,000 odd victims (and that's just the tip
of the iceberg, it's believed that there is still more than 80% of
victims still to come forward) in order to keep quite about the
churches indiscretions. It is, without sugar coating it, nothing short
of sickening.
Not convinced? The most astonishing information
can be expressed in a single sentence - a sentence that should turn
anyone from believing in anything the church has preached (and I'm
talking all the way up - even to the top chair at The Vatican). An act by a
priest, which was not only covered up - but simply ignored by the
church. And here it is:
"Can you imagine, just imagine... a priest penetrating a nine month year old - an infant..."
There
is no escaping the shocking realities of what has occurred to the
numerous victims who have come forth to speak on screen, and the
countless others who will forever remain nameless (in O'Gradys case,
upwards of 50).
There are points where you are slightly ushered
towards feeling some form of empathy for O'Grady (who, really, sounds
like a monster) with his soft spoken nature and Irish accent. He often
comes off as a child himself, you can see it in his eyes - not so much
a hideous unforgivable beast - but moreso I cheeky child that has never
been told what he is doing is wrong.
The end of the film
reveals a quite substantial clue as to why O'Grady has turned out the
way he has, yet another addition to list of sad human tales that Deliver Us From Evil has to offer. And it ultimately leads to the ultimate question - who is really to blame?
O'Grady or the power hungry institution that never tried to stop him?
EXTRAS
Nothing
on offer here, besides a trailer, which is quite unusual - especially
considering that the flick received quite a bit of exposure at the
Oscars.
Very often you will find that documentaries will have
numerous out-takes from interviews, and for once, this would be an
occasion in which unedited interviews would be quite helpful (an
unedited chat with O'Grady would be nothing short of fascinating).
Perhaps
there will be a double disc on the way a little later down the track.
But for now, all you have to contend with is the film itself. And while
it won't be the most feel good film you see this year, it will be the
best. Conclusion:
Movie 90% Extras: 10%
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