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Godless follows Lara, a woman tormented by voices and torn between science and faith, and her husband who pushes her to seek treatment from a congregation of zealots. When a ruthless exorcist enters the fray to try to save her soul, Lara ends up in a living hell.
Based on a true story from 1994 Australia, Godless is a rare example of a horror film that effectively denounces the practice of exorcism instead of embracing and sensationalizing it. What we effectively have here is a religious tragedy where gaggle of self-important do-gooders tormenting a a schizophrenic woman over the course of three days, making Godless a strong contender for Bad Husband of the Year award.
Seemingly stilted in the early scenes, the performances gradually gain traction and pull you in – and the immersive sound design really puts in the audience in the thick of things, right up to the jaw-dropping finale.. A good movie if you want to be very angry by the end. Recommended!
Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism is currently playing at the Overlook Film Festival, in advance of a wider release in April (US) and later in 2023 (Rest of the World).
Whitlock&Pope 