The Flipcritic

THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE has been marketed as a horror film, yet frights are furthest from its mind. It chronicles supernatural happenings based on true-to-life accounts, but not merely for shock value. It doesn’t reject the paranormal ideas that it presents, yet it doesn’t completely give them the benefit of the doubt. Here is a movie that gives both points of view, secular and religious, on what might have led to the death of a tortured soul. And at its end, we, like the jury, are called to question our reasoning and faith, for the fate of the accused, and for ourselves. This is the kind of false advertising that I approve of.

The movie tells the story of Emily Rose’s arduous ordeal before her eventual death (which is revealed early on). Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson), her parish priest and exorcist, is charged with her murder, and it’s up to Erin Bruner (Laura Linney), his defense attorney, to prove his innocence. A task that cannot be easy in today’s world where facts are deemed closer to the truth than religion, especially in a court of law. Yet she takes up the challenge for reasons more pragmatic than principled.

Though Father Moore seems unlikely to be able to afford a lawyer of Erin’s caliber, she is assigned to him by her high profile firm as his archdiocese is footing the bill. One intriguing aspect of his trial is that the Church is willing to support Father Moore since they sanctioned the exorcism, but are averse to having him take the stand. They’d rather settle than have the media tarnish what’s left of their reputation (Those child-abuses quickly come to mind). If only he’d accept a plea bargain, but he has no intention of doing so: “All I care about is telling Emily Rose’s story.”

Father Moore wants to testify, but the archdiocese won’t let him. If he won’t get to, he won’t cooperate. If she won’t heed the Church’s instructions, her career becomes at risk. This movie makes this ethical speed bump an interesting hurdle, but the more important one she must clear is that of her defense. How can she adequately defend a man whose actions seem unjustifiable by science and medicine? Her initial strategy to counter expert medical opinions with others is doomed to fail (I’ve never heard of a medically endorsed exorcism before). Once she changes her line of attack the movie really makes its mark, using the court room to make a rationale for the seemingly irrational.

Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) is evoked in flashback scenes during testimonies. Whether you believe she was demonically possessed or subject to a medical condition, she was surely in agony. She sees nightmarish images and suffers excruciating loss of control. Her body betrays her by seizing, locking, and contorting. Her mind splinters into a different personality, as she speaks in foreign tongues. She loses her appetite and hence her weight. Near the end she relies solely on those closest to her, one of them being Father Moore.

The movie has its share of scares as it recollects Emily’s dark moments. Though these scenes are not of primary focus, they extend a horrifying reach. Not because they are frightening, but because they are heartrending. Like THE EXORCIST, it delves into its characters, as compared to contemporary slasher flicks, which are merely content with slaying their players like so much meat. We share Emily’s hopes, her dreams, and the love of those dearest to her. Once we relate to their horror, it becomes ours. How terrible it must be to see a loved one undergo such misery, let alone endure it. That is the one terrifying certainty the movie supplies.

Its other truths reside mainly in its audience. Since the movie doesn’t pick a side, it encourages both. If you’re spiritual, Father Moore was justified in his actions. If you’re an agnostic, Father Moore was an unsuspecting murderer with the best of intentions. Some people with medical backgrounds might criticize the film’s knowledge (there is no such condition as “psychotic medical disorder”), but it is merely a device used to make a long explanation short, and relates to a larger idea the film touches on: Our desire to explain unexplainable ideas, away. Just because these certain ideas can’t be made clear as of yet, doesn’t mean they don’t happen, or don’t have meaning. If one day we are able to elucidate what love is, does that make it cease to exist? Or meaningless? If we find out that after death there are no actual demons, does that mean there is no evil in the world?

These are the kind of questions the movie entices, and is able to do so since it is so well-written and acted. Laura Linney and Campbell Scott, two of the most underrated Hollywood actors working today, lend authority in conveying the strong cases and sharp criticisms of the worldly and devout, without being heavy handed or ham-fisted. Their roles supply the irony of seeing Erin (Linney), an agnostic defending a priest, and prosecutor Ethan Thomas (Scott), who is religious, going after a holy man.

As Emily Rose, Jennifer Carpenter gives a fearless and exhausting physical performance. It isn’t as astonishing as Linda Blair’s in THE EXORCIST, but it's no less difficult. And Tom Wilkinson, who has always given great performances, lends his archetypal dignified persona to his deserving character. As Father Moore, his sincerity is never in doubt (remarkable for a guy who just played a menacing crime boss in BATMAN BEGINS). When he tells Erin of “dark forces,” we don’t believe him, but we want to.

It’s admirable that among all of the film’s characters, Father Moore is the only one who has the singular devotion to tell Emily’s story (we need more non-demonized priests in movies). But in the end, it is one clouded by what Emily believes in, what Father Moore believes in, and what the prosecution believes in. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So is truth. It’s not that the film plays it safe by not taking a definitive stand. It’s that it wants to give credence to both sides of the story and that’s what keeps it from being a truly remarkable film. But of course, that doesn’t keep it from being admirable one. THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE is an insightful look at what might have happened at an exorcism. And despite all the information we are given, nobody can explain it away.

Posted by FLIPCRITIC at November 17, 2005 06:57 PM