"The Exorcism of Emily Rose" concerns the clash of medicine and culture, and the tragedies that can result. In her excellent book "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down," about the gap in understanding between Western doctors and Hmong spirituality in the case of a severely epileptic Hmong child, Anne Fadiman documented the case of a child's demise in which all parties seemed simultaneously blameless and entirely at fault. Similar threads of ambiguity run through "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," though the film seems less sure how to approach them.
College freshman Emily Rose is dead as the film opens. We're told she died soon after an attempted exorcism by the Rose family's parish priest, Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson). The state contends her death was directly caused by Moore's involvement, and presses charges in a controversial case that will, in essence, put the entire archdiocese on trial. Emily was epileptic and psychotic, alleges the prosecution, and died after following the priest's advice to discontinue medication. The defense counters that Moore's involvement was at the Rose family's request, that all involved believe Emily's torment to be spiritual, and aggravated by medication, and that Emily herself consented to the exorcism. Who is right? And more importantly, is being wrong a criminal offense? These are intriguing questions involving entirely differing worldviews, and the associated subjectivity of "facts." Yet "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" shies away from establishing ANYTHING as demonstrable true. Emily is either epileptic or she isn't, for example, and this is likely to be provable in court. Argument over the causes of a remedies for such is one thing, but it's hard to imagine such a fundamental point still in dispute at the end of a lengthy trial. It's also unclear what Father Moore's specific involvement was that may have caused Emily's death. We're told she died from various traumas, exacerbated by acute malnourishment. At least in the flashbacks of the exorcism we're shown, though, Moore rarely even physically touches the girl.
But while "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" goes to sometimes too-great lengths to remain seemingly ambiguous, it also repeatedly suggests it has its mind made up; Emily was possessed by demons that ultimately killed her, and which may have their sights set on the subsequent trial. Defense lawyer Erin Brunner (Laura Linney) keeps waking up at 3AM the demonic witching hour, according to Moore and a key witness is incapacitated after apparently seeing some otherworldly omen. Like all courtroom dramas, the film ultimately comes down to a verdict and, like most, tries to have it both ways. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" seems to want to be an arty horror flick, but that would require it to take sides unabashedly. Doing so, or remaining truly undecided to leave the audience to its own conclusions, might have made it a more intriguing film.
College freshman Emily Rose is dead as the film opens. We're told she died soon after an attempted exorcism by the Rose family's parish priest, Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson). The state contends her death was directly caused by Moore's involvement, and presses charges in a controversial case that will, in essence, put the entire archdiocese on trial. Emily was epileptic and psychotic, alleges the prosecution, and died after following the priest's advice to discontinue medication. The defense counters that Moore's involvement was at the Rose family's request, that all involved believe Emily's torment to be spiritual, and aggravated by medication, and that Emily herself consented to the exorcism. Who is right? And more importantly, is being wrong a criminal offense? These are intriguing questions involving entirely differing worldviews, and the associated subjectivity of "facts." Yet "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" shies away from establishing ANYTHING as demonstrable true. Emily is either epileptic or she isn't, for example, and this is likely to be provable in court. Argument over the causes of a remedies for such is one thing, but it's hard to imagine such a fundamental point still in dispute at the end of a lengthy trial. It's also unclear what Father Moore's specific involvement was that may have caused Emily's death. We're told she died from various traumas, exacerbated by acute malnourishment. At least in the flashbacks of the exorcism we're shown, though, Moore rarely even physically touches the girl.
But while "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" goes to sometimes too-great lengths to remain seemingly ambiguous, it also repeatedly suggests it has its mind made up; Emily was possessed by demons that ultimately killed her, and which may have their sights set on the subsequent trial. Defense lawyer Erin Brunner (Laura Linney) keeps waking up at 3AM the demonic witching hour, according to Moore and a key witness is incapacitated after apparently seeing some otherworldly omen. Like all courtroom dramas, the film ultimately comes down to a verdict and, like most, tries to have it both ways. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" seems to want to be an arty horror flick, but that would require it to take sides unabashedly. Doing so, or remaining truly undecided to leave the audience to its own conclusions, might have made it a more intriguing film.