Deliver Us (2023)

User Review

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  ScreenZealots

  3 / 10

  The complex, existential themes in co-directors Cru Ennis and Lee Roy Kunz’s “Deliver Us” are sophisticated and thought-provoking, which makes it even more disappointing that the film isn’t well-executed overall. This theological horror thriller has a solid backbone story-wise, but there’s very little payoff for the viewer.
  
  In a remote convent, a nun (Maria Vera Ratti) claims that she has had an immaculate conception. Concerned that this is the work of an ancient Church prophecy that predicts the woman will give birth to two twin boys, the Vatican sends a team of priests to investigate. Is the woman carrying the Messiah and the Antichrist, or is something more sinister going on?
  
  The first half of the film is everything you’d want from the religious horror genre, particularly one that feeds so heavily on the emotional aspects of its story. It’s creepy, unsettling, and moody, introducing complex ideas of faith, superstition, and how religion has a hand in feeding mental illness. It’s a shame that co-writers Lee Roy and Kane Kunz don’t know how to end their story, choosing to ramble on and take the lazy route of a clandestine Church society.
  
  Ennis and Kunz have some bad directorial habits, but their skills are strong. It doesn’t matter much, though, when every creative shot is offset by yet another dream sequence that ends with a character jolting awake in bed.
  
  The film is also dragged down by mediocre performances by the cast, with a distracting, stiff performance by Lee Roy himself as the skeptical priest. It’s tough to find much success as a filmmaker when your leading man can’t carry the material, and it’s a massive misstep for him to take on roles both behind and in front of the camera. He tries to do too much, and fails.
  
  “Deliver Us” presents some thoughtful ideas, but it just doesn’t come together as a whole.
  
  By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS

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