The Deliverance
Ebony (Andra Day) is having a hard time with life. Her husband is off in Iraq and she isn't sure when or if he's coming home. She is doing her best with her three kids, Andre(Anthony B. Jenkins), Nate(Caleb McLaughlin) and Shante (Demi Singleton), but that hasn't been easy. Ebony has had substance issues and she always seems to be just one step ahead of CPS trying to take her kids away. On top of that, she has her mother Alberta (Glenn Close) who is suffering from cancer and goes for regular treatments. Alberta has the men chasing after her, despite her age, and she is both sassy and outspoken.
The family has moved three times in the last year, due to circumstances, and she is hoping this time they'll be able to stay longer, put down roots, and provide greater stability for her kids. But strange things have begun to happen. Dre is talking to himself, although when pressed he says it's his friend Tre - the boy who lives in a hole in the basement. All three kids are acting up in school in horrifying ways, although they've never been behavioral problems before, and Ebony is at her wits' end trying to figure out what is wrong with them and is there some kind of evil presence in their home that is causing this?
My first problem with this film is that I could never muster up enough sympathy to care about the characters, not any of them. I didn't feel any emotion through the film, just one level throughout. Maybe the pacing could have been better. Or maybe the script. I have to ask what the hell was up with Glenn Close? At first, I thought she was meant to be playing a black woman, but that wasn't the case. And why she was a man magnet is beyond me. The plot seemed full of holes, including the one in the basement. And the explanation concerning Lucifer and the fallen angels that became demons and now one of them is in the children was totally simplistic and rushed. It felt like they didn't have any better idea than some generic demon. Why that house? I know it's based on a true story that took place in Hammond Indiana. I also know the family involved has been trying to milk what happened and that perhaps things were not quite the way they told it.
I was not scared and I was not impressed. I expected so much more based on what people were saying on Reddit. One person even suggested Glenn Close deserves an Oscar nod for her performance. I totally disagree. On the whole, it was okay, worth one watch but I wouldn't do it again. I'll give this film 3 Stars.
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