The Deliverance, 2024.
Directed by Lee Daniels.
Starring Andra Day, Glenn Close, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Mo’Nique, Anthony B. Jenkins, Caleb McLaughlin, Tasha Smith, Omar Epps, Demi Singleton, Miss Lawrence, James William O’Halloran, Rob Morgan, Todd Anthony, Colleen Camp, Guy Collins, Lian Maya, Kimberly Russell, Timothy Scott, Ellis Hobbs IV, Malieek Straughter, Dominique Toney, and Juanita Jennings.
SYNOPSIS:
Single parent Ebony Jackson moves her family to a new home for a fresh start, but something evil already lives there.
Supposedly inspired by a true story (more specifically, the life of Latoya Ammons) and set during the early 2010s, Lee Daniels’ (with an overheated screenplay from David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum) The Deliverance comes across as a contemporary Turn off the Screw by way of copious amounts of clichéd Black trauma. This is to the point where, once the film is over and the credits try to convince viewers once again that this is all grounded in some semblance of reality, one has likely already forgotten about that detail and will probably just cackle (I certainly did, especially after that outrageous finale.)
It also doesn’t sit right that, in addition to once again treating characters with cruelty rather than genuinely exploring the human element of their circumstances and dilemmas, Lee Daniels seems to perceive this concept as a means to push a twisted version of faith-based propaganda. Lo and behold, a director’s statement confirms, ” I’m here to scare you into finding your faith.” If there is a God in this world, this film will finally scare moviegoers away from Lee Daniels.
Perhaps that sounds harsh, but this is made all the more frustrating since there is an intriguing concept at the core here, at least before Lee Daniels instantly cranks it up to goofy levels of domestic turmoil and family bickering, laced with abuse for good measure (not to mention a pointlessly tasteless third act reveal that one of these characters is a survivor of seemingly repeated sexual assault.)
A financially struggling working-class mom, Ebony (Andra Day, a gifted singer and actress who could nonetheless always be counted on to elicit some real emotion working alongside Lee Daniels, reunited following their collaboration on The United States vs. Billie Holiday) looks after her three children and cancer-recovering mother Alberta (Glenn Close), behind on bills and challenged with putting the kids through school. She also regularly gets into nasty verbal quarrels with Alberta, who is concerned with dressing sexy and her dating life (yes, you read that correctly), with generational physical abuse a hot topic. Her husband is away fighting a war.
Meanwhile, Andre (the youngest child played by Anthony B. Jenkins) is targeted by an “imaginary friend” while undergoing some of the usual horror tropes, such as blacking out and strange behavior that doesn’t align with his typical personality. Over time, whatever entity is living in this house (the family has been here for around three years now) starts slowly possessing others and cranking up the aggression within them.
Ebony also has a rough past related to drinking and drugs, with child services (a woman played by Mo’Nique, which feels like a sick joke giving her that role after having won an Oscar for portraying a repulsive mother in Lee Daniels’ Precious) visiting often. Child abuse also seems to run in the family, as early on in the film, during dinner, the usual squabbling is taken a notch too far, with Ebony smacking Andre across the face and drawing some blood on his lip. The question then becomes (especially since the opening credits and ominous music courtesy of Lucas Vidal bluntly express that this is a horror movie) how much of this abusive behavior is the result of demonic possession and how much is coming from within the flaws of these characters as people. A stronger director and film would understand this.
None of these fractured relationships amounts to much. However, there is an intriguing sequence that sees Alberta side with a white doctor who claims everything is psychologically okay with the children. This scene also comes after a montage of inappropriate behavior at school in which the youngest child flings his feces at his teacher, so realistically, it’s hard for anyone to buy into a damn thing that doctor says. The point is that this leads to a race relations argument between mother and daughter, an interesting dynamic that is quickly forgotten to get to more cheap scares.
Eventually, an apostle (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, also giving a serviceable performance without embarrassing herself) comes into play, transforming The Deliverance into an overtly Black take on The Exorcist, which also doesn’t work (aside from one or two disturbingly bloody visuals) because Lee Daniels treats the material like he is doing Scary Movie (if you thought Glenn Close had some hilarious line readings in the biopic about that couch fucker JD Vance, just wait until you see her in demonic possession mode) while also failing at telling a story about family and shamelessly pushing the importance of religion.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
