THE STORY – Single parent Ebony Jackson moves her family to a new home for a fresh start, but something evil already lives there.
THE CAST – Andra Day, Glenn Close, Mo’Nique, Caleb McLaughlin, Omar Epps, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Anthony B. Jenkins, Demi Singleton, Miss Lawrence & Tasha Smith
THE TEAM – Lee Daniels (Director), David Coggeshall & Elijah Bynum (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 112 Minutes
If there’s one thing director Lee Daniels is going to do, it’s wrangle up an impressive cast list. And it’s no wonder that stars flock to him – he’s led several performers to Oscar nominations, including a win for Mo’Nique’s acclaimed turn in “Precious” (not to mention how close Nicole Kidman and Oprah Winfrey came to nominations for their work in Daniels’ films “The Paperboy” and “The Butler,” respectively). His latest film, “The Deliverance” – produced for Netflix – features performances from such lauded actresses as Andra Day, Glenn Close, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, not to mention a long-awaited reunion with Mo’Nique. It’s the type of ensemble that would lead to one assuming that the material must be stellar to attract such marquee names. However, the cast is merely a Trojan horse, fooling viewers into watching a schlocky, unoriginal thriller. Just because it features the leading actress from “Dangerous Liaisons” doesn’t mean it’s any different or better than the litany of tiresome horror movies that tumble onto streaming services on a weekly basis.
Day plays Ebony, a mother trying to raise her children while dealing with alcohol dependency single-handedly, a cancer-stricken mother (Close), and, oh yeah, a demon-infested home. What begins as a series of what appear to be behavioral issues affecting her children quickly progresses to something far more sinister and supernatural. Once all three of her children exhibit disturbing behavior at school, she seeks out alternative methods to help her family.
While they’re all undeniably talented, it can’t be said that any member of the esteemed cast is turning in career-best work in this film. Day taps into her levels of raw vulnerability and unpretentious emotionality that she used so effectively in Daniels’ “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” But Ebony is a character with far less dimension than the legendary jazz singer, and although Day’s naturally compelling screen presence makes her a worthy central figure for the film, there’s just not enough meat on the screenplay’s proverbial bone for her to work with. Day tosses herself without abandon into the role – as is necessary when working with a director as unsubtle as Daniels – but through no fault of her own, Ebony never comes across as anything deeper or more complex than vaguely troubled.
There’s an obvious camp quality to casting Glenn Close in a role like this, which will almost certainly draw in a particular actress-obsessed band of viewers. Her makeup is wild, her wigs are plentiful, and her vocal choices are fascinating. So why isn’t watching her in this film more enjoyable, even in an oddly gleeful way? It’s never quite clear if we’re supposed to look at her character as a voice of reason in Ebony’s unsteady life or as a distraction from the things that Ebony needs to focus on. Close is reduced to playing the same two modes over and over again – brazenly sexual or shockingly unconcerned with social pretense (one scene where she attacks a car with a baseball bat while completely bald-headed feels destined for immortality as a Twitter reaction video). Later in the film, Close gets a chance to delve into some genuinely deranged horror antics. Here, she finally achieves a level of perverse watchability thanks to her commitment to the truly ridiculous lines of dialogue she has to spit out. But, likely, this impression isn’t what the filmmaker intended for these moments.
The two best performances in the film come from the supporting performances of Mo’Nique and Ellis-Taylor. Mo’Nique’s work in Daniels’ “Precious” is one of the greatest film performances of this century, and this creative reunion 15 years later shows just how well the director and actress work together. She’s tasked with playing the “problem” character – a child services representative whose entire function is to make life harder for Ebony. However, Mo’Nique brings a level of sympathy to the character that isn’t immediately obvious in the screenplay. Every time she enters, it’s hard not to tense up, but her skill as an actor means that she never feels as if she’s overstaying her welcome. Ellis-Taylor is the highlight of the film. The gifted performer is always a magnetic presence, even while not speaking. She’s the key to most of the events of the film’s second half, and her natural authority helps the audience to understand why Ebony would suddenly place her complete trust in this stranger.
Still, despite the hard work that this quartet of actresses puts in, the film’s structural elements are simply not supportive of their efforts. The screenplay is repetitive and oftentimes laughable. The same types of demonic activity keep presenting themselves to the family over and over, and none of them are realized in a dynamic or original way. Daniels is far from a master of horror, and the images he conjures up will feel reductive to anyone who’s even half-watched any of the many films with the word “exorcist” in the title. And the fact that the film is based on supposed true events makes the many times that evidence of supernatural violence inflicted upon the children is understandably mistaken for domestic violence challenging to reconcile. These questionable plot decisions get even further muddied by the film’s ultimate faith-based message, which serves to excuse a lot of the strife that came before in a frustratingly convenient and simplistic manner.
“The Deliverance” has all the veneer of a prestige drama. Still, the compounding misery on display combined with the uncomfortable non-fiction nature of the story ultimately leads to the film feeling merely exploitative and, at times, hard to watch. Daniels’ affection for maximalism doesn’t lead to an overwhelmingly emotional experience; instead, the whole thing just feels messy. That may sound appealing to some, but much like the possessed house its characters inhabit, viewers who enter “The Deliverance” should beware.
