User Reviews

I called up this film from my local library after watching "The Pope's Exorcist" with Russell Crowe in the role of Father Gabriel Amorth, exorcist to the Vatican for thirty years from 1986 to 2016. The documentary was disappointing. It did not really delve into the life of Father Amorth, rather it discussed a number of cases selected by the filmmakers that may or may not have been ones of demonic possession. Particularly a thirty-year-old kidnapping case that took place in Rome of a fifteen-year-old girl, that might or might not have been performed by a Satanic cult. See where I'm going with this? The principal interviewer here, Francois Dermine, did ask Gabriel Amorth about some of his experiences, but they seemed to be answered tangentially with very few specifics. Now I'm not casting doubt on Amorth's experience or expertise in the area of exorcism, it was emphasized that suspected cases of possession must be carefully discerned to determine whether a pathology is involved versus the actual influence of the devil in a person. Overall however, the film did not offer the kind of information I was looking for to help understand how Amorth came to acquire and understand his unique gift, and how he used it to better the lives of people he had helped. I hope to gain some better insight with another documentary directed by William Friedkin titled "The Devil and Father Amorth". I'll be back with that review shortly.