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The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
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Movie Review by Jarrod 
May 14th, 2008
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'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' works as both a supernatural thriller and a compelling legal drama, and those two elements constantly brush up against one another, but never make direct contact; two different stories are being told here, and a lot of questions are bound to be raised. On the one hand, there is Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter), a pious and intelligent young girl bound for college, who is apparently possessed by demons. Her family calls in their priest, Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson), to perform an exorcism; Emily dies in the process and Moore stands to be charged for negligent homicide. The church wants a quick settlement, but Moore intends to recount what he experienced, and what he believed was wrong with Emily. He is defended by Erin Bruner (Laura Linney), formerly religious, now an agnostic, struggling with her faith, willing to let Moore do what he wants, even if it threatens her job. Through the whole process, Bruner will perhaps get back in touch with God, or maybe she won't, but there are spiritual forces that seem to be involved in the case, as well. Her opponent in the courtroom is Ethan Thomas (Campbell Scott), a tough attorney who is religious, but is willing not to let his personal beliefs interfere with his duties. He tries to prove that Emily suffered from a medical condition that was left untreated during the course of Moore's supposed exorcism.
So, scientific explanations are offered, and they are indeed far more convincing than the alternatives, which are summed up by Bruner's witness, Dr. Sadira Adani (Shohreh Aghdashloo), a specialist in the study of cross-cultural spirituality. It essentially tries to do what William Peter Blatty did in The Exorcist, and that is to show that science may not always be able to explain everything, and that the Devil does exist, and so too does God, and they are at war with one another for the very souls of humanity. But it does this in a more subtle way and science actually stands up for itself quite strongly. It seems fairly obvious that Emily is possessed, but the languages she speaks, it is brought out by Thomas, are German and Latin, which she had exposure to, in catechism and high school. Her strange behavior could be the result of seizures or delusions. The film claims to be based on a true story, but that is something I highly doubt. At least the film is never preachy, nor does it seem to have any kind of blatant agenda. The scenes with Emily are extraordinary, thanks in no small part to Carpenter, who is able to make a variety of terrifying facial expressions, contort her body in visibly painful and uncomfortable ways, and persuade us that something is seriously wrong with the girl, possession or not. There are scary moments here, including Emily's hallucinations that hideously distort the faces of people she passes on the street, and a bizarre encounter Father Moore has one night with a shadowy figure that is supposed to represent the Devil or some other dark force.
Cinematographer Tom Stern keeps the movie drenched in an oppressively ominous atmosphere. The exorcism itself is not shown in great detail, but it is an arduous and draining event, for Emily, her family, and especially for Moore, who ends up chasing her into the barn where he confronts whatever is supposed to be lurking within her. Tom Wilkinson plays Moore as a humble and compassionate man, who is willing to go against his superiors if only to make Emily's tale known to the world. His own fate means very little to him. Linney is wonderful, in a complex and captivating performance. It is challenging and provocative, engrossing and intense, more disturbing than most other PG-13 rated fare. The masterful editing of Jeff Betancourt allows for seamless transitions from present to past and the flashbacks are preceded by logical segues that strip them of any potential intrusiveness or awkwardness.
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