Film Reviews

Deliver Us From Evil

• Rating:
• Director: Amy Berg
• Starring: Oliver O'Grady
• Details: US / 101mins (15A).

"I want this to be the most honest confession of my life." Amy Berg's documentary follows Oliver O'Grady, a paedophile priest who gained the trust of various congregations in Northern California in the '70s and '80s. O'Grady confessed his problem to Bishop Mahoney, but was only moved from town to town in the hope of burying the dilemma and protecting the Catholic Church. Cutting from interviews with O'Grady himself (who still walks free on the streets of Dublin after serving half of a fourteen year sentence - this after abusing countless children, including a 9 month old baby), the victims, their families and various police depositions and testimonies of O'Grady's Bishops and Cardinals, Berg's documentary is a gripping work. As the documentary starts out, O'Grady is shown as a gentle and kind man who regrets everything he's done; but as time goes on, what can be only described as insanity festers in the man. He even writes letters to his victims, hoping they will meet him face-to-face, only to turn to the camera and say: "Hope to see you all real soon," before giving us a sly wink. Berg isn't content with damning O'Grady, as she raises the question that the Mahoney and his ilk are just as guilty and evil in keeping the horror quiet. Deliver Us From Evil is a tough documentary. Approach with caution.

Review by Gavin Burke