Educational Media Reviews Online

The documentary begins with Father Jose Antonio Fortea, a popular exorcist, stating the premise for all that follows: “A very small number of people have a problem which is not sin…they need not just repent from their sins,” but receive exorcism, and “the Church has a ritual for that.” This commendable clarity continues throughout, for an illuminating look at a little-known sub-set of the Christian world.

Much of the film concerns Constanza, a young woman who believes she is possessed. We hear from her psychiatrist, and later we witness the highlights of her exorcism at the hands of an archbishop of the Holy Catholic Apostolic Renovated Church of Peru (the entire hour-long event is available in the extra material). The results are about the same—each help some, but fail to rid her of the problem completely. Then Constanza attends a concert-like event when the superstar Fr. Fortea visits Bogota, where he prays for her and other demoniacs. She ends on the hope that travelling to Fortea’s parish in Spain will complete her healing process, since, according to canon law, he can perform exorcisms only in his own parish; at Bogota he can only “pray in faith.”

An exorcist in Norway and an exorcist at the Vatican also speak; a Catholic theologian, also from Norway, gives a dissenting voice. There is no narrator.

The film seeks to elevate the drama with discordant, creepy music. At the same time, there are several slow parts that drag it out unnecessarily. The volume is occasionally uneven and some of the interior scenes are too dark. There are subtitles throughout, and when there is “speaking in tongues,” they indicate that, which is helpful. On the whole, the technical quality is sufficient.