Pros- It's a little tougher to dissect this film because of the nature of how it was meant to be perceived. As a documentary style film, the plot was slightly covered up by the necessity to remain true to a live filming. That being said, I have to commend the entire cast on making the film truly feel like a documentary. Whoever cast the film did a nice job of selecting actors that were lesser known to assist in the genuine feel of the film.
I found it refreshing that the film took a very different angle on the idea of exorcisms. Instead of a devout priest, or even an uncertain one, struggling to rid demons from a body for the greater good of the possessed's soul, this minister had a different approach. Instead, a minister struggling internally with his beliefs and faith seeks to prove that exorcisms are a mental disorder and can simply be cured with a "mind over matter" approach. The film then goes through the motions of his hoaxes and showmanship during the fake exorcism, the events that ensue, and his beliefs and opinions ultimately being questioned.
Throughout the process the viewer will find a very tongue-in-cheek sense of humor from the minister, as he is convinced that exorcisms are fake and ultimately mocks them. It ends up frequently having a bit more comedic and realistic feel than it does a spiritual one, which is refreshing for a film that is rooted in a concept that is very spiritual.
Cons- Coming with the territory of a documentary style filming is the inability to answer some questions. This was particularly frustrating towards the end of the film. As the film is attempting to be in real time, with one of the characters of the film portraying the camera person, we can only view what is going on from their perspective. Once action picks up and characters are running and/or dying, it becomes difficult to decipher the plot in the midst of the chaos.
I also thought it was a little ignorant of the priest to assume that the possessed girl, Nell, was relieved of the demons just based off of what she was saying. I thought it was painfully obvious that she was still under possession, mainly because she was referring to herself in the third person perspective. A-duh?
Wrap up- This movie can be summed up in one word: unexpected. It's really quite interesting, but I would really recommend it to those who have seen several exorcism oriented films, as it will probably make more sense.
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