‘The Deliverance’ Review
Stars: Andra Day, Glenn Close, Anthony B. Jenkins, Caleb McLaughlin, Demi Singleton, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Mo’Nique, Omar Epps | Written by David Coggeshall, Elijah Bynum | Directed by Lee Daniels
Across his career, Lee Daniels (Precious, The Butler, The Paperboy) has directed an array of works which each bring with them Academy Award aspirations. Whether that translates into nominations or not is another story, although Daniels takes a different approach with The Deliverance.
Working off a script by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum, Daniels’ sixth feature is a horror film inspired by the real-life Ammons haunting case. Unfolding in Pittsburgh, 2011, the story follows single mother Ebony Jackson (Andra Day) as she struggles to raise her three children. During this, she looks after her elderly mother Alberta (Glenn Close) who has cancer, and fights her own personal demons. They have moved into a new house in the hope of a fresh start, but strange occurrences within raise the suspicions of Child Protective Services, and leaves Ebony to fight for the souls of her children.
Earlier this year, Oscar nominations were abound for American Fiction, Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut. As the story commented on how creatives prioritise black stories which pander to tired stereotypes, some questioned whether such criticisms are still relevant within this age where such attempts are more widely known. If anything, Lee Daniels’ latest work has arrived to show such works are still being made, resembling a story that Jefferson’s film would be satirising.
Tensions are high between Ebony and Alberta, as the former has not dealt with her childhood trauma that she considers her mother responsible for. As a result, she has redirected her past demons into acting abusive to her children. The potential lies for a saddening tale where trauma trickles down from generation to generation, but the way it is depicted leaves the protagonist looking awful as she commits physical assault, shouts racist remarks, and traumatises her children.
As the story focuses upon this family struggling with mounting financial issues, an absent father, and an abusive mother grappling with alcoholism, The Deliverance feels as though it is revelling in misery porn. There is a world where this is all part of an unfortunate situation the family are in, leaving them to feel on edge and moments away from fighting each other. Instead, it all plays out in ways that feel calculated to prey on audience sympathies, and this is particularly evident when far too much is brushed under the carpet by the end.
Most jarring is how The Deliverance half-heartedly tries to sell itself as a horror film. The story has a few hints that bad things are happening, as flies are noticeable while a bad smell comes from the basement, before delving into possession tropes galore. In an interview with The Film Stage, Daniels shared that he saw the tension as coming from the familial abuse instead of the spooky elements unfolding within the house. That makes complete sense when the horror elements are so by-the-numbers that they could have been crafted by The Count from Sesame Street.
For a film which involves faeces being thrown, The Deliverance is utterly boring. A work which takes its characters through hell before wrapping things up too neatly, and takes its talented cast through an ordeal due to the dire handling of the subject matter. There is no tension to this work, just boredom.
* 1/5
The Deliverance is available to watch on Netflix
