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 - Psychologist (as Dr. Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea)
Bill Hodgman	...	Himself - LA Deputy DA
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 - Father Ollie
Nancy Sloan	...	Herself
Mike Walker	...	Himself (as Detective Mike Walker)
Patrick Wall	...	Himself - Theologean
Paula Zahn	...	Herself (archive footage)

Runtime:

USA:101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

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:

Features "Paula Zahn Now" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Hallelujah

Raw emotions and insights into pain and denial

I saw this movie tonight and found it excellent. Parts of this movie made my skin crawl, others moved me to tears. The sight of a sixty year old man, with a deep bellowing voice, weep in anguish at the pain his daughter went through and the deception the whole family experienced: this touched me deeply.

This movie also offered some helpful insights in alternating between both the abused and the abuser looking back on the abuse. The abuser looks back on it w/ detached shame and remorse. The victims and their families rage with intense, fresh pain despite the decades.

The ray of hope in this movie is Father Thomas Doyle, a priest who reaches out to the families with compassion, hugs, apologies. He's articulate and knowledgeable about church polity and politics as well as the "spiritual rape" that occurs when kids are abused by a religious leader; and he knows his Jesus, that is, he shows Christ talked about "suffering little children to come to me..for such is the kingdom of God."

I still don't understand how the church leadership in California (i.e. in this specific case) leadership forgot this teaching of Jesus regarding children: "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

I wish this topic would have come up more in the film.

Addendum: * My thoughts led me back to this film as I recently learned that someone had abused one of my former students. "Deliver us from evil" came immediately to mind; this movie woke me up to the fact that a nice/charming/well-mannered/harmless-looking/great-with-kids person can really be dangerous evil and treacherous, i.e. "prowling around like a roaring lion." For this reason, I think every adult should see this movie.

(Just today I read how a man in Chicago abused a girl after befriending her mom. "She said their friendship grew to the point where she allowed him to take her son and daughter on outings." I cannot but think that if either the mom/neighbor/relative/friend saw this movie someone might have said uttered a word of caution which could have prevented such a tragedy).

* Clearly the priests who shuffled around the abusers (and effectively covered up these scandals), underestimated the trauma and damage caused by abuse. But just what *were* they thinking? "They won't remember it." "They'll get over it". Yet the testimony of the people in this movie show that the long-term damage is enormous. What really went on in the heads of the leadership? I'd like to know.