Popular culture has long been fascinated by exorcisms but it’s rare that you get to see real exorcists in action. Deliver Us is a low-budget – yet skilfully filmed and edited – documentary focusing on Father Cataldo, a priest in a Sicilian town tasked with holding a mass every Tuesday for those who think they harbour demonic entities.
The mass is strangely routine. Father Cataldo reads a prayer; those afflicted start screaming. He piously places his hand on their heads; they howl. He throws holy water at them; they flinch and curse. This happens over and over. To an outsider, it’s either horrifying or hilarious (some moments here are very funny), but it’s clearly just part of these people’s lives.
Filmmaker Federica Di Giacomo follows several of the victims and weaves their backstories into the narrative for you to decide for yourself if they’re really possessed. One takes drugs, another may have been abused, another – a teenage girl – has a pious, deeply opinionated father. At one point someone wonders if these people are attention-seeking. Perhaps they are, or perhaps they’re mentally ill. But what’s important is that they all think they’re cursed, and Father Cataldo helps them – sometimes kindly, sometimes grumpily, sometimes seeming rather bored.
The priest even performs a few exorcisms over the phone; we hear demonic screaming that gradually quietens. “Happy Christmas!” he tells the victim as he hangs up, as though he’s just phoned for a quick chat. This blend of superstition and mundanity, horror and matter-of-factness is what makes Deliver Us such a fascinating watch. And, as the film points out over its end titles, the Catholic Church is training more exorcists to meet growing demand. Some exploration into why this is happening would have been welcome, but as it stands, this is still a truly eye-opening experience. Reviewed by Jayne Nelson
INFO
Release: 27 October 2017 (Theatrical), 30 October 2017 (DVD)
From: Network Releasing
Format: Theatrical Release & DVD
Age Rating: 15
No Comments Yet!
You can be first one to write a comment