Deliver Us from Evil

The most surprising and disturbing scenes in the documentary "Deliver Us from Evil" is to hear from Father Oliver O'Grady himself about the children and babies he sexually abused when he was a Catholic priest in California. We can see that O'Grady is still mentally ill, he is unaware of the seriousness of his actions in the past. He lives a normal life in Ireland as if all his abuses have been forgiven and therefore insignificant and impertinent to him. Another relevant point of the documentary is to present that both the dioceses of California and the Vatican simply deny or cover up all cases of sexual abuse perpetrated by their clergy. It is proven that all religions that view sex as an evil element, or preach fanaticism, certainly have sexual abuse cases done by their members.

In my opinion, this film is a front-runner for the Oscar for Best Documentary for 2006.

It's absolutely riveting. If you are a fan of "Silence of the Lambs," you should see this because Oliver O'Grady is just as chilling as Hannibal Lecter -- more so because he is real. Filmmaker Amy Berg did a news piece on O'Grady, a Catholic priest who raped dozens -- possibly hundreds -- of children in California. On a whim, she called him in his exile in Ireland and got him to agree to an extensive three day interview. It is a confession unlike any other.

On one level, Deliver Us From Evil is a righteous indictment of the Catholic Church: its inaction, its enabling, its bureaucracy, its male-dominated backwardness.

At the same time, the film is a profile of some incredibly decent people: Catholic parents and children who were victims in this rampage. Their character is inspiring -- their pain is as raw as anything you will ever see on film.

Finally, it's the study about the way a psychopath can play every human emotion to his own advantage.

There is Hell to pay for this man's sins. And some victims are living that hell every day.

I am sure many will never take the opportunity to see this film thinking it biased toward the church. Although it will be a painful experience for devoted catholics it is mandatory that they be aware of the deception of their prelates in the cover-up of clergy sexual abuse. The intransigence of the hierarchy is detailed and horrifying. Its machinations to cover up the crimes against the children who they had an obligation to protect and nourish would be loathsome enough in secular society but they are an abomination in the church. There are a few voices that are trying to stimulate reform in the church but the outlook is grim.

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.

I saw this film at the Toronto Film Festival, and I am still thinking about it a day later. I was raised a Catholic, and I think that this film should be required viewing for all Catholics. Amy Berg has constructed a documentary that is not only about the abuse of children and their families by an individual priest; it is also about the evil and politics that exist within the institution of the church and that have allowed (and continue to allow) horrible abuses to occur. It actually hurt to watch this film, but I did not walk out of the theatre with a sense of defeat. I left with a sense of resolve, knowing that we need to take the CHURCH back from the politicians masquerading as bishops and cardinals and, yes, even the pope.