Is there an exorcist in the house?

Awarded the Golden Lion in the Orizzonti section of the 73rd Venice Film Festival, Federica Di Giacomo’s 2016 “Liberami” (Deliver Us) has become one of the most talked about documentaries of recent years.

It is a film about the practice of exorcism that explores the contrasts between ancient traditions and modern challenges. Di Giacomo tells the story with a hint of comedy, but that lightheartedness is overshadowed by the profound suffering of people desperately searching for answers.

Her third feature film after having made several shorts, “Liberami” put Di Giacomo on the map. After its award-winning debut in Venice, it went on to garner accolades around the world.

The Catholic Church has long trained exorcist priests to respond to the phenomenon of demonic possession. One of them is Fr. Cataldo, whom the film follows along with those who attend his masses in search of a cure for their inner demons.

The film opens with a woman sitting on a chair in a chapel as Fr. Cataldo anoints her with holy water. He then puts his hand on her head and prays. The woman immediately begins to scream obscenities in the voice of Satan. “Leave me alone. She’s mine now. Leave me alone,” she yells.

Father Cataldo then visits a church in Palermo, where a long line of people wait to see him. Many are turned away and will have to come back the next day. When they get their chance to speak with him, they talk to him like they would to a psychologist rather than a priest. They blame their misfortunes on Satan. In some cases, Fr. Cataldo agrees. In the case of one depressed housewife, he tells her that her problem is more likely psychological than spiritual. He asks a man convinced his bad luck is spiritual, “Did you try to live in the grace of God at least when you could?” The man replies, “I try, Father, but it’s hard.”

Later, the priest visits a woman with a nagging cough. He sits with her and her family. The woman is fidgeting and clearly uneasy. As he starts to pray with them, the woman becomes more uneasy. As he puts his hand on her head, she begins to lose control. The family members gather around her and try to keep her still. She falls to the floor, and he anoints her with holy water. She weeps, they all say a Hail Mary and she appears to be healed.

Fr. Cataldo then holds a public mass for these people, and during his exhortation to Satan to leave them alone, a boy breaks into an outburst and the priest speaks directly to the demon within. “Go away Satan.” The boy then screams uncontrollably. Father Cataldo responds, “Be quiet. It’s God ordering you to leave.” The yelling continues. “Get the cross,” says the priest. A cross is held over the boy while Fr. Cataldo continues to drive the devil away. The outburst spreads, and some are forced to retreat to a designated room where they are all trying to regain their composure. At times, it’s difficult to watch. Whatever is causing these people to lose control, they are undoubtedly suffering very much.

During an interview at Toronto’s Hot Docs festival, where Di Giacomo presented the film in 2017, she commented on the atmosphere of the film. It seems to capture “Sicily of another era,” she said, and yet the subject of exorcism is quite relevant today. “The phenomenon is really contemporary. The film is about the future more than the past. This is a growing phenomenon, and it is something that is becoming bigger.” 

“Deliver Us” is available on several streaming platforms including Tubi, Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video via Freevee, Vudu and Google Play Movies & TV. Di Giacomo’s latest film, “Il palazzo” (Unfinished), had its North American premiere earlier this year at Lincoln Center’s annual series Open Roads: New Italian Cinema. We’ll keep you posted on its stateside distribution.

-Written by Jeannine Guilyard for the November 2022 issue of Fra Noi Magazine. Click here to subscribe.