Deliver Us From Evil
3/4
Not Rated (contains Language and Graphic Discussions of Sexual Abuse involving Children).
Amy Berg's incendiary documentary, "Deliver Us From Evil," will leave anyone who views it sick to their stomach and boiling with rage. Those are compliments.
Everyone has taken care to remind people that the sleaziness of the priests in this documentary is not typical behavior among the men of the cloth. Most are good people who wouldn't hurt a fly, much less rape a child. People like Roger Mahoney, who let their ambition and ego overrule the need to protect children, are the exceptions.
Berg focuses on Oliver O'Grady, who openly admits to molesting so many children that he has lost count. At first glance, he seems almost grandfatherly with his boyish face and kind voice. But he is a far more terrifying individual than most horror movies can come up with. He is a pedophile whose acknowledgement of the pain he caused is debatable. Also featuring prominently is Mahoney, a bishop who not only knew of O'Grady's history of abusing children but lied to the parents of the victims. He assured them that he would be moved to a monastery away from kids if they promised to stay silent, when in fact, he moved O'Grady to another parish, out of the local police's jurisdiction, where he was free to abuse more children.
The film also introduces us to three of O'Grady's many victims, who are fighting to deal with their traumas (some are doing better than others). We understand what happened to them, and how it affected their lives. It's not a pretty sight. Lives are forever altered and families are broken beyond repair.
Berg also does what I never thought possible and makes the problem even more insidious than it already is. Not only were these people violated sexually and emotionally, but spiritually as well. The Catholic Church is built on community and trust. Not only is that trust broken, but those at the head of the community throw their trauma in the faces of the victims and place the blame on them.
Much like "This Film is Not Yet Rated," Berg establishes the hierarchical nature of the Catholic Church and how it is utilized to keep people in line and to allow the powerful to consolidate absolute control over the most powerful religious organization in the world.
There are those, like Father Tom Doyle, who are risking their careers to make people listen. He takes the victims to the Vatican to plead their case, and gives them the first apology on behalf of the church that they have ever received.
This is not an easy film to watch, nor is it a perfect documentary. But it is a story that needs to be told, and gives voice to people who desperately need it.
Not Rated (contains Language and Graphic Discussions of Sexual Abuse involving Children).
Amy Berg's incendiary documentary, "Deliver Us From Evil," will leave anyone who views it sick to their stomach and boiling with rage. Those are compliments.
Everyone has taken care to remind people that the sleaziness of the priests in this documentary is not typical behavior among the men of the cloth. Most are good people who wouldn't hurt a fly, much less rape a child. People like Roger Mahoney, who let their ambition and ego overrule the need to protect children, are the exceptions.
Berg focuses on Oliver O'Grady, who openly admits to molesting so many children that he has lost count. At first glance, he seems almost grandfatherly with his boyish face and kind voice. But he is a far more terrifying individual than most horror movies can come up with. He is a pedophile whose acknowledgement of the pain he caused is debatable. Also featuring prominently is Mahoney, a bishop who not only knew of O'Grady's history of abusing children but lied to the parents of the victims. He assured them that he would be moved to a monastery away from kids if they promised to stay silent, when in fact, he moved O'Grady to another parish, out of the local police's jurisdiction, where he was free to abuse more children.
The film also introduces us to three of O'Grady's many victims, who are fighting to deal with their traumas (some are doing better than others). We understand what happened to them, and how it affected their lives. It's not a pretty sight. Lives are forever altered and families are broken beyond repair.
Berg also does what I never thought possible and makes the problem even more insidious than it already is. Not only were these people violated sexually and emotionally, but spiritually as well. The Catholic Church is built on community and trust. Not only is that trust broken, but those at the head of the community throw their trauma in the faces of the victims and place the blame on them.
Much like "This Film is Not Yet Rated," Berg establishes the hierarchical nature of the Catholic Church and how it is utilized to keep people in line and to allow the powerful to consolidate absolute control over the most powerful religious organization in the world.
There are those, like Father Tom Doyle, who are risking their careers to make people listen. He takes the victims to the Vatican to plead their case, and gives them the first apology on behalf of the church that they have ever received.
This is not an easy film to watch, nor is it a perfect documentary. But it is a story that needs to be told, and gives voice to people who desperately need it.
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