Wednesday, January 11, 2006
DVD Review: The Exorcism Of Emily Rose
I saw The Exorcism Of Emily Rose in the theater twice, and I've been reluctant to review it because I'm not sure I can be objective about it. Frankly, I love the movie... but I'm also certain that I'm right smack dab in the middle of the movie's target audience. It's the kind of film that seems custom made for me. It may be that I'm not capable of really being objective about the movie.
The Exorcism Of Emily Rose is equal parts court-room-drama and horror film, and it's makers claim that the story is inspired by true events. None of that, really, is relevant to the heart of the film. At heart, this is a movie that challenges the viewer to ask himself or herself what he or she really believes about the things that really matter. This is a film that wants you to examine your own ideas about life and death, about God and heaven and hell, and about the place of religion in the 21st century. It's a risky proposition for a movie to approach such high-minded material. If the movie falls short, it'll seem foolish, even laughable. If it gets too serious about those weighty questions, it'll fail to entertain. And if it's vague or indirect, it might ultimately be a confounding experience. Approaching these questions, asking them artfully and meaningfully, and still coming up with an entertaining film is quite a task for moviemakers to take on.
I'm sitting here trying to think of a list of past movies I've seen that have actually pulled it off. Really, only three come to mind: Jacob's Ladder is the first one. Now, there's a movie. Jacob's Ladder played every card just right; it scared me out of my wits, it made me think, it got an emotional reaction out of me, and it actually stayed with me long past the experience in the theater. The Sixth Sense pulled it off, too, with an uncanny mix of chills, brains, and sadness. The other movie that managed to get all the elements right is, of course, The Exorcist.
Plenty of movies have tried to walk that tightrope and failed. Some failed miserably (see Event Horizon ... or, rather, don't see it), others got half way there (Donnie Darko comes to mind) and others got within feet of the goal line before making a major fumble (like the flawed classic Altered States). Movies that manage to be dramatic, existential, and downright scary are few and far between.
Add The Exorcism of Emily Rose to my short list of films above; the ones that really get it right. For genre fans like me, this is a movie for the ages. This is horror at it's smartest, court-room-drama at it's most metaphysical, and as gripping of a human drama as any film I saw in 2005. This is a movie to offer thanks for.
The story is really only loosely inspired by the real life and death of Anneliese Michel, a German girl who may or may have not been possessed by demons, and who died as a result of her trauma in 1976. In the movie, Michel is represented by the character of Emily Rose. As played by Jennifer Carpenter, Emily is a healthy and happy college freshman who's life is turned upside down by dramatic and terrifying changes in her physical and mental health. She sees visions and hears voices, her body contorts and spasms uncontrollably. Her mental state deteriorates. Emily's doctors believe that she suffers from a combination of psychosis and epilepsy. Her family and her priest believe that she's battling demonic possession. Emily leaves school and returns to her home, commending her care to her priest and her family. An attempt at an exorcism is a failure, and Emily ultimately dies as a result of physical trauma and starvation. The family priest, Father Moore, is blamed for her death.
All of that is back-story; it's all taken place before the opening credits roll. The movie's focus is on the arrest and trial of Emily's priest, Father Moore, who's brilliantly portrayed, of course, by the always-brilliant Tom Wilkinson. His lawyer, the ever-reliable Laura Linney, is an agnostic who's interest in the case is purely professional. Emily Rose's own story is told through flashbacks by the main characters, and it is in those scenes that the movie packs all it's scares. As the trial wears on, Linney's lawyer realizes that Father Moore's fate relies on her ability to convince the jury that Emily's problems weren't merely medical. Research and personal doubts cause the agnostic lawyer to begin to question her confidence in her own beliefs. It is through her experiences that that the audience is asked to make up their own minds about the reality (or unreality) of demons and angels, heaven and hell, God and the devil.
There are so many clichés that this movie could have relied on, so many missteps that I dreaded along the way. Thankfully, ...Emily Rose never relies on convention or hackneyed formulas. For instance, Emily's family is clearly rural and religious... but they're never presented as one-dimensional, backwards, or closed-minded. Father Moore is clearly a mystic... but thanks to Wilkinson's warmth, the character never seems flaky or odd. Most wonderfully, the movie doesn't rely on gore or outrageous special effects to scare the audience. The traumatic sights and sounds of Emily's apparent possession are terrifying and compelling. This movie wisely avoids comparison to The Exorcist by not trying to reproduce that classic's fear formula. No spinning heads, no heavy make-up, no split-pea soup sprayed on the heroes. Just a troubled young woman, a spine-tingling soundtrack, and several of those "Did-I-just-see-what-I-think-I-saw?" moments. If you're like me, the hair on your neck will stand up several times while you're watching ...Emily Rose.
Ultimately, though, the movie works by asking the viewer to decide what he or she has just seen. Was this a case of demonic possession or criminal neglect? Was Emily allowed to die needlessly... or was her life taken by a force she couldn't control? It's up to you to decide what it all means. I won't deny that the movie does lean toward one of those choices. That's not surprising. What is surprising is the depth and clarity with which it allows the characters to present their case. It isn't very often at all that spiritual matters are treated seriously and reverently by mainstream films.
If I try to be objective, I can't say that The Exorcism Of Emily Rose was the best movie I saw last year. Objectively, I can think of at least three that were better. Still, ...Emily Rose was a sentimental favorite, and the kind of movie that horror fans long for and see far too infrequently. It has heart. It has brains. And oh, boy does it ever have scares.
¶ 2:59 AM
I saw The Exorcism Of Emily Rose in the theater twice, and I've been reluctant to review it because I'm not sure I can be objective about it. Frankly, I love the movie... but I'm also certain that I'm right smack dab in the middle of the movie's target audience. It's the kind of film that seems custom made for me. It may be that I'm not capable of really being objective about the movie.
The Exorcism Of Emily Rose is equal parts court-room-drama and horror film, and it's makers claim that the story is inspired by true events. None of that, really, is relevant to the heart of the film. At heart, this is a movie that challenges the viewer to ask himself or herself what he or she really believes about the things that really matter. This is a film that wants you to examine your own ideas about life and death, about God and heaven and hell, and about the place of religion in the 21st century. It's a risky proposition for a movie to approach such high-minded material. If the movie falls short, it'll seem foolish, even laughable. If it gets too serious about those weighty questions, it'll fail to entertain. And if it's vague or indirect, it might ultimately be a confounding experience. Approaching these questions, asking them artfully and meaningfully, and still coming up with an entertaining film is quite a task for moviemakers to take on.I'm sitting here trying to think of a list of past movies I've seen that have actually pulled it off. Really, only three come to mind: Jacob's Ladder is the first one. Now, there's a movie. Jacob's Ladder played every card just right; it scared me out of my wits, it made me think, it got an emotional reaction out of me, and it actually stayed with me long past the experience in the theater. The Sixth Sense pulled it off, too, with an uncanny mix of chills, brains, and sadness. The other movie that managed to get all the elements right is, of course, The Exorcist.
Plenty of movies have tried to walk that tightrope and failed. Some failed miserably (see Event Horizon ... or, rather, don't see it), others got half way there (Donnie Darko comes to mind) and others got within feet of the goal line before making a major fumble (like the flawed classic Altered States). Movies that manage to be dramatic, existential, and downright scary are few and far between.
Add The Exorcism of Emily Rose to my short list of films above; the ones that really get it right. For genre fans like me, this is a movie for the ages. This is horror at it's smartest, court-room-drama at it's most metaphysical, and as gripping of a human drama as any film I saw in 2005. This is a movie to offer thanks for.
The story is really only loosely inspired by the real life and death of Anneliese Michel, a German girl who may or may have not been possessed by demons, and who died as a result of her trauma in 1976. In the movie, Michel is represented by the character of Emily Rose. As played by Jennifer Carpenter, Emily is a healthy and happy college freshman who's life is turned upside down by dramatic and terrifying changes in her physical and mental health. She sees visions and hears voices, her body contorts and spasms uncontrollably. Her mental state deteriorates. Emily's doctors believe that she suffers from a combination of psychosis and epilepsy. Her family and her priest believe that she's battling demonic possession. Emily leaves school and returns to her home, commending her care to her priest and her family. An attempt at an exorcism is a failure, and Emily ultimately dies as a result of physical trauma and starvation. The family priest, Father Moore, is blamed for her death.All of that is back-story; it's all taken place before the opening credits roll. The movie's focus is on the arrest and trial of Emily's priest, Father Moore, who's brilliantly portrayed, of course, by the always-brilliant Tom Wilkinson. His lawyer, the ever-reliable Laura Linney, is an agnostic who's interest in the case is purely professional. Emily Rose's own story is told through flashbacks by the main characters, and it is in those scenes that the movie packs all it's scares. As the trial wears on, Linney's lawyer realizes that Father Moore's fate relies on her ability to convince the jury that Emily's problems weren't merely medical. Research and personal doubts cause the agnostic lawyer to begin to question her confidence in her own beliefs. It is through her experiences that that the audience is asked to make up their own minds about the reality (or unreality) of demons and angels, heaven and hell, God and the devil.
There are so many clichés that this movie could have relied on, so many missteps that I dreaded along the way. Thankfully, ...Emily Rose never relies on convention or hackneyed formulas. For instance, Emily's family is clearly rural and religious... but they're never presented as one-dimensional, backwards, or closed-minded. Father Moore is clearly a mystic... but thanks to Wilkinson's warmth, the character never seems flaky or odd. Most wonderfully, the movie doesn't rely on gore or outrageous special effects to scare the audience. The traumatic sights and sounds of Emily's apparent possession are terrifying and compelling. This movie wisely avoids comparison to The Exorcist by not trying to reproduce that classic's fear formula. No spinning heads, no heavy make-up, no split-pea soup sprayed on the heroes. Just a troubled young woman, a spine-tingling soundtrack, and several of those "Did-I-just-see-what-I-think-I-saw?" moments. If you're like me, the hair on your neck will stand up several times while you're watching ...Emily Rose.
Ultimately, though, the movie works by asking the viewer to decide what he or she has just seen. Was this a case of demonic possession or criminal neglect? Was Emily allowed to die needlessly... or was her life taken by a force she couldn't control? It's up to you to decide what it all means. I won't deny that the movie does lean toward one of those choices. That's not surprising. What is surprising is the depth and clarity with which it allows the characters to present their case. It isn't very often at all that spiritual matters are treated seriously and reverently by mainstream films.
If I try to be objective, I can't say that The Exorcism Of Emily Rose was the best movie I saw last year. Objectively, I can think of at least three that were better. Still, ...Emily Rose was a sentimental favorite, and the kind of movie that horror fans long for and see far too infrequently. It has heart. It has brains. And oh, boy does it ever have scares.
¶ 2:59 AM
Comments:
I take issue with one thing: if you're agnostic, you can't really question your *beliefs.* Unlike atheism, agnosticism is characterized specifically by the ABSENCE of belief. I suppose it may just be easier to refer to it in that way, but the phrase implies a faith system, which would contradict the basic idea of agnosticism. Otherwise, good review! It made me want to see the film.
In reply to the previous poster: Agnosticism is actually the conscious decision to believe that people may never know the answers to the questions that religion tries to answer. It it *not* the absence of belief. Thanks!
Yes, Sara, you got it exactly right. For me, agnosticism has been the result of a long and very serious search for the answers. It has, in fact, become what I think of as the only rational belief to choose. And that's my choice. I choose to believe that there's no way to verify the other options I could have chosen.
I have to say that I'm a little bit confused at the fact that you thought Donny Darko only got "half-way there". The movie was complex and engaging, dealt with a lot more intricate metaphysical dilemmas than this film and was still extremely entertaining. The exorcism of Emily Rose for me was just a horror. It had plenty of horror clichés - such as the shadow in the hall way, and the "shock" moments etc... And it relied heavily on effects for its scare-factor. I mean, all the scenes with the "daemon-faces" and when her face becomes contorted etc, could not have even existed without special effects. I guess for its target audience it did ask you to question your beliefs, but the fact that it is so loosely based on the story of Anneliese Michel should make the case in the film obsolete as questionable Trial.
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