Deliver Us from Evil (2006)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Amy Berg

Writer (WGA):

Amy Berg (written by)

Release Date:

22 February 2007 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Documentary | Crime

Tagline:

For some there's no such thing as salvation.

Plot:

Documentary about Father Oliver O'Grady, a Catholic priest who was relocated to various parishes around the United States during the 1970s in an attempt by the Catholic Church to cover up his rape of dozens of children.

Plot Keywords:

Catholic Church | Pedophile | 1970s | Child Rape | Sex Crime

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Adam	...	Himself
Jeff Anderson	...	Himself
Pope Benedict XVI	...	Himself (archive footage)
Monsignor Cain	...	Himself (archive footage)
Case Degroot	...	Himself
Jane Degroot	...	Herself
Thomas Doyle	...	Himself (as Father Tom Doyle)
Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea	...	Herself
Bill Hodgman	...	Himself
Anne Jyono	...	Herself
Bob Jyono	...	Himself
Maria Jyono	...	Herself
Frank Keating	...	Himself
Roger Cardinal Mahony	...	Himself
John Manley	...	Himself, Attorney for the Jyonos (as John Manly)
Oliver O'Grady	...	Himself
Nancy Sloan	...	Herself
Mike Walker	...	Himself
Patrick Wall	...	Himself, Theologean
Paula Zahn	...	Herself (archive footage)

Runtime:

USA:101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | Singapore:M18 | USA:Unrated | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

County Armagh, Northern Ireland, UK

Company:

Disarming Films

Quotes:

Bob Jyono: I made up my mind. There is no God. I do not believe in a God, all right? All these rules, everything... they're made up by man, you know?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Hallelujah

A truly outstanding documentary

This is a documentary to expose the sexual abuse done by catholic clergymen to children, and to expose the subsequent systematic cover up done by the church.

Due to the disturbing nature of the film, it is hard not to judge it without reference to morals. It is wrong to abuse children. I never imagined the extent of betrayal and deceit in the catholic priests' scandal. It is shocking, scary and disgusting.

Talking about the film proper, I think it is very nicely done. How Jyono's family turns from support to anger is touchingly portrayed. Putting Nancy's trauma with Jyono's support seem to give a balanced picture of the situation. That is, until later, when the truth is revealed. Anne Jyono's trauma is central to the film, because Anne still has faith despite all the wrongs done to her. The most heartbreaking scene in the film is when Anne breaks down after hearing her father lost faith and announces that "There is no God".

With the actual convict also appearing to give interview, I find "Deliver Us From Evil" the most convincing and truthful. It is sad to see that O'Grady's guilt is very superficial.

A truly outstanding film is able to evokes a plethora of emotions. Especially sadness, disgust, sympathy. "Deliver Us From Evil" is able to do all these. It seamlessly takes viewers into a journey of trauma and despair of the victims; the guilt of the family members for being to trusting; deceit and ruthless lies to cover things up.

The other brave souls, who overcome all the obstacles and let the world know about these heinous crimes, are remarkable. The people who funded and worked on this film are remarkable. They face an insurmountable giant and they are not afraid to speak out. They need to let the world know. This film is shocking, touching and saddening. It breaks my heart to see hundreds of thousands of lives wrecked by their trusted authority figure. I hope "Deliver Us From Evil" will deliver children away from evil.