tek's rating:

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (PG-13)
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This came out in 2005, but I didn't see it until 2025. Before I watched it, I had it listed among thrillers I want to see, but despite some scary (and potentially supernatural) elements, I don't see it as either a thriller or a horror movie. It's loosely based on actual events, but I think it's too loose for me to put my review under "based on a true story". What I'm left with is a courtroom drama, so I'm listing it in my "law enforcement" category. I thought the movie was fairly good.

A lawyer named Erin Bruner (Laura Linney) defends a priest named Father Richard Moore, who has been accused of negligent homicide in the death of a 19-year-old woman named Emily Rose. She died some time after Moore performed an exorcism on her, but it doesn't seem like that's what caused her death. The real issue is that Moore had recommended she stop taking some medicine that had been prescribed for her, by a doctor who believed she had epilepsy and psychosis. Throughout the film, we see flashbacks which, if you can take them at face value, make it appear Emily was possessed- by like six demons at once. But the prosecuting attorney, Ethan Thomas, provides witnesses who make it seem as if there are more plausible, scientific explanations for Emily's condition. We also see flashbacks that don't directly involve Emily, but Father Moore, which would seem to suggest something supernatural was going on, but of course we only have his word that these things happened. Bruner risks her job by going against the wishes of her boss, using a strategy of trying to prove that possession was at least possible, thereby causing reasonable doubt that Moore was guilty.

I don't want to reveal how it all turns out, but I will say I have absolutely no idea what the truth was, and I think that's a point in the movie's favor. It would be rather disappointing if I was left feeling conclusively one way or the other. And other than that, I don't know what to tell you.


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