Exorcism films rarely work for me because I find they all follow a trope that, for me, always pulls me out of the film. The idea that an evil spirit that has possessed someone is going to spend its time spewing profanities and making bodies do weird things just feels... well not that evil. There are really terrible things a demon could do while in possession of a human and films don't tend to go there. Anyway it always feels off to me.
People have really strong feelings about Lee Daniels' films. Say what you will, there was an aspect of The Deliverance that I found fascinating. Daniels takes the possession cliches and uses them to comment on something else, something more real. In doing so I feel he tapped into something that I found very interesting and I hope will make people think. Good horror does that; tells a fantastical story that comments on very real world issues. I think The Deliverance, whether it is that good of a movie or not, does that in a way I hadn't seen before.
Poor families, often headed by single mothers, in PIBOC communities, are often pathologized in ways that ignores systemic factors (such as past trauma, poverty, addiction, lack of community supports) to place blame for everything from day to day stressors to full blown crises they face on so called "personal character weaknesses". This allows us to move forward as a society without taking responsibility for how our systems let down the most marginalized people and villainize them instead. The Deliverance uses the metaphor of the possession to dramatize this. While everyone around her thinks Ebony is a bad mother or that her children are inherently bad (likely due to factors such as racism) in reality what is plaguing the well being of her children is something external, something that no one is willing to acknowledge. I found using the familiar exorcism story line as a means of exploring these themes was a clever and interesting way into this story.
However it is debatable how just how successful Daniels is with this allegory. For me The Deliverance didn't rise above my problems with possession horror. Day and Close are both very good for many the way Daniels directs bombastic performances from his actors can be a bit much. Still, I found myself thinking a lot about many of the ramifications of this story and that is worth something.
The Deliverance
Starring: Andra Day, Glenn Close, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Mo'Nique, Caleb McLaughlin, Demi Singleton, Omar Epps, Coleen Camp
Director: Lee Daniels
Writers: David Coggeshall, Elijah Bynum
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