SnoReptilePlenty
Memorable, crazy movie
Sexyloutak
Absolutely the worst movie.
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Esdras Silva
This was a hard one to watch.It is difficult to determine which feeling was dominant while I watched this documentary: rage to see a priest describing (apparently with no regrets) how he used to approach families and abuse their children; or a huge sense of sadness to hear the father of one survivor telling about how he feels guilty for not protecting his daughter.While I don't think the producers wanted to soften in anyway the crimes of Father Oliver O'Grady, they refrain from showing him as the only evil doer. Instead, they research on the hierarchy and other political aspects of Catholicism, revealing that the Catholic Church itself is as guilty as the pedophile priests (or even more) when it not only ignores the victims' complaints but actively tries to cover-up those crimes in order to protect its image.It is an excellent documentary but one that I probably won't have the stomach to watch again.
Robyn Nesbitt (nesfilmreviews)
The spellbinding power of this Oscar Nominee for Best Documentary comes from its chilling subject matter, a notorious pedophile priest and the cover-up of his heinous acts by the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the state of California. Director Amy Berg's documentary is clear-sighted and tough-minded -- a portrait of individual criminality and institutional indifference. A study in the betrayal of trust, and the irresponsibility of authority. In addition to giving faces and voices to victims who are often anonymous, it offers an interview with a convicted ex-priest who admits his crimes without remorse. "Deliver Us from Evil" presents three case studies of Father O'Grady's abuse. Simply put, jaw-dropping.In the 1970s and 80s, Father O'Grady was serving as a parish priest in several towns in Central California, where he molested children over and over again, both boys and girls, including, a 9-month-old. Filmmaker Amy Berg masterfully exposes just how deeply rooted the corruption runs. Armed with anguished testimony from the families of the abused and their lawyers, she seamlessly presents indisputable evidence that the Church knew about O'Grady's activities. The hierarchy moved him from one parish to another, simply to avoid public scandal, and to prevent destroying the careers of those in power.Present day and walking around the streets of Dublin, O'Grady peers into a schoolyard with an interest that can only appear perverse after what's been revealed about him. He seems so removed from his crimes that he could be an actor playing the part of a pedophile ex-priest. That he agreed to appear in "Deliver Us From Evil," is an indication not just of an oversized ego, but also a complete failure to comprehend of what he has actually done. Father O'Grady walks freely today in Ireland, not even registered as a sex offender. "Deliver Us From Evil" has already prompted legal attention in Los Angeles toward Cardinal Roger Mahoney, who allowed more than 550 priests under his jurisdiction to molest children without punishment.Watching this documentary, and especially the interviews with O'Grady, is so much more disturbing than any piece of fiction could ever be. This is a real monster victimizing children, and it was allowed by a group that was claiming to do God's work.
gavin6942
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.Whether or not this documentary is objective is something I will not concern myself with. Typically, I think a documentary works best if it does not take a stand and lets the facts speak for themselves. However, in this case, it is hard to see a way to be neutral on child abuse -- we might be able to rationalize it by saying Father O'Grady is mentally ill, but we would never find his actions acceptable.There are two levels of wrong here. First, the direct wrong: O'Grady and the children. He ruined dozens of families, and these are wrongs that can never be made right. And whether he was a priest or not, we would find him to be an evil man. And yet, he served less than ten years in prison for the abuse (he did later return to prison for child pornography). How can this happen? But the deeper wrong is the cover-up. If O'Grady had abused one child and the matter was dealt with appropriately, it would not be the major story it is. Instead, he was moved to another parish and abused again. And then moved and abused again... and again... and while the bishop may not be criminally liable, the actions of O'Grady's superiors are in some ways just as much responsible for the crimes as the man himself. And while they may be covering their own butts for political reasons (to be promoted), it does the Church as a whole no good when the truth gets out.This is a story of the evils of abuse -- both child abuse and the abuse of power. And it is also a look at the Catholic Church and how it may be destroying itself, not through its beliefs, but through its inaction.
Carl
It's a shocking insight into a world already known to be as disgusting and duplicitous as is laid bare in this documentary.Father O'Grady seems to fluctuate between the repentant child molester honestly searching for truth and forgiveness, and a subtle and controlling egotist who needs to be central to every facet of the emotional devastation in his wake.Although it may be impossible to come to this documentary as a 'neutral' observer it does feel forced along in some areas. The tone of the film is more interested in exposing the pain and disgusting acts than as a window into another world. An obvious attempt to appeal to the base emotions, and would have preferred more of a focus on the hypocrisy of child molestation within a Christian World view. However, where the film succeeds with tremendous impact is the complete access to the victim's struggle to find understanding, and the perpetrator's car crash he calls his life.
