Review #1,057: 'Deliver Us from Evil' (2006)

When I first saw Amy Berg's powerful documentary Delivery Us From Evil back in 2006, the film's revelations shocked, angered and utterly appalled me. Ten years later, the film still packs an emotional punch, despite the quite unbelievable extent of child abuse throughout the Catholic Church now being common knowledge. The Boston Globe's 2001 investigations into the systemic abuse in Boston alone led to widespread news coverage, and, of course, Tom McCarthy's film Spotlight which dramatised these events won the Best Picture Oscar just earlier this year.

The power of Berg's film lies within the raw emotion laid out on screen. Interviewing both Father Oliver O'Grady, an Irish priest who raped an estimated 25 children in California between the 1970's and 1990's, and some of his victims, the film reveals the rippling affects the abuse has had on the individuals themselves as well as their families. The most powerful scene is the moment where Bob Jyono, the father of one of the victims, breaks down with anger and guilt, explaining how he invited O'Grady into his home only for the priest he trusted to repeatedly rape his daughter. O'Grady not only destroyed his family, but broke his faith in the church.

O'Grady himself speaks openly about his experiences. He apologises and expresses his regret over his actions, but there is a startling disconnect in his confessions. However, O'Grady is not the only one on trial here, as Berg expands the focus to the Church itself, and especially Cardinal Mahony, the man who knew about O'Grady exploits and did nothing to stop it. Rather than expelling the priest for his actions, the Church simply shifted him around the California area. The Church's cover-up is perhaps the most sickening thing of all, and the revelation that an estimated 10% of Catholic priests were known to be abusers is simply unforgivable. This is an agonising, yet necessary watch.


Directed by: Amy Berg
Starring: Oliver O'Grady
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie