Rating of
4/4
Great acting job and a fascinating court case
Lee - wrote on 07/16/13
This is one of those films that provides me with the best of both worlds and what I mean is I enjoy both courtroom dramas and horror flicks and with this feature you get both! Taken from a true story of real life exorcism victim Anneliesse Michel who in 1975 started feeling like hers wasn't the only soul inhabiting her body and her exorcism ritual ended up killing her. This case is the classic medical science vs. religion case as her md's diagnosed her with having epilepsy as to which they medicated her and then she was pulled off the drug by her priest as he felt it blocked the whole exorcism ritual this in turn ends up getting him charged with manslaughter as his accusers believe that because of his convincing her that her meds needed to go he and her family failed to provide Anneliesse with the proper necessities of life therefor are heavily responsible for her demise.
That is what the film is based upon however the women possessed in this film is Emily Rose (Played brilliantly by Jennifer Carpenter) Emily is a fine top of her university class student who seems to have the world in her grasp until she start)s getting wild convulsions and fits so to speak as well as seeing demonic images ever where she turns. Her doctors are sure she is epileptic and prescribe her a drug called Garbutrol (Anti seizure meds) She is sure that epilepsy is not the case and seeks solace within her family and the families minister Father Richard Moore (Another brilliant acting job from vet actor Tom Wilkinson) Well as I explained earlier within this review..she doesn't survive the ritual and Father Moore is brought up on charges and thrown into county jail.
Father Moore's court trial that ensues is nothing short of fascinating (Almost made me want to be a juror back in the actual trial in '75.) Laura Linney is Father Moore's attorney Erin Bruner (Another stellar performance that I think was seriously over looked when the Academy were doing their annual polls for that years Oscar awards) Campbell Scott portrays the accusers attorney Ethan Thomas, although a church goer himself he is also on a campaign to make sure Father Moore gets locked up for a very long time as he feels that the defrocked priest is in no position to inform a sick a girl to stop taking her meds which he heavily believes is what attributed to her death.
I'll let those of you who have yet to see this lil gem of a film see the rest for yourself and decide who is right and who is wrong in the state vs the devil. It's a good lil time waster!
