Death in the form of a Rose

Review by Vives Anunciacion
Inquirer Libre

The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Directed by Scott Derrickson
Written by Paul Harris Boardman, Scott Derrickson
Starring Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Jennifer Carpenter
R13 / 119 minutes
Columbia pictures/ Screen Gems

A rose by any name it’s not – either it’s a supernatural court drama or a trial by horror. The Exorcism of Emily Rose is an intelligently interpreted battle between the realm of the supernatural and the rule of human law.

Based on the story of Annelise Michel (the real Emily Rose) of Germany in the 1970s, The Exorcism of Emily Rose focuses on the trial of Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson) who is accused of negligent homicide after performing exorcism on the young girl Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter). Laura Linney plays Father Moore’s ambitious defense lawyer Erin Bruner who turns the trial upside down when she presents elements of the exorcism itself as evidence supporting the priest.

Director Scott Derrickson fuses horror and court drama in this creepy tale about a priest on trial for the death of a young girl who believed she was possessed by demons. As Father Moore’s trial progresses, Emily’s actual possession is rationally questioned by the prosecution, which convincingly presents Emily as too sick and delusional to know otherwise. Meanwhile, the agnostic Bruner begins to experience inexplicable encounters on her own.

The filmmakers may have derived the name Emily Rose from William Faulkner’s short story A Rose for Emily, about an old spinster’s grotesque secrets revealed in the ruins of her decaying mansion. Emily Rose has similar patterns with the short story, specifically dark secrets, infernal smells and psychosis haunting the female character.

There are two movies in Emily Rose – one is a supernatural thriller that’s decidedly not The Exorcist, and the other is a courtroom drama that takes its questions seriously. The flashbacks on Emily’s possession are effectively creepy and only a few times borders on the cheesy. Emily’s possession is presented with a rational afterthought – to the viewers she may still be experiencing epileptic episodes rather than demonic contortions.

The courtroom proceedings have the same clever approach. As the case is evaluated, questions from the lawyers of either side expand the storyline to sensible conclusions.

What Emily Rose succeeds in doing is traverse the line between supernatural belief and rational skepticism and back. This approach to the story is maintained throughout the movie. Depending on what scene in the movie is playing, one may either believe Emily’s demonic possession (as we Pinoys are familiar with all sorts of sanib) or disbelieve all accounts of the supernatural. Similar to The Exorcist’s Father Merrin, Emily Rose’s Bruner experiences this crisis in integrity – like the movie’s recurring theme, whether to believe or not depends on one’s stability.

But what it fails to do is deliver an emotional journey with certainty. The double-identity in the narrative actually thins out both approaches, and the implied holy sacrifice in the ending makes sure the captive audience accepts Emily’s fate. Which is why in the end, The Exorcism of Emily Rose doesn’t make converts out of skeptics in the audience – believers are well taken care of, no matter what.