The Ritual stars Al Pacino and Dan Stevens as two conflicting priests in the latest XYZ Films horror flick. David Midells’s feature after 2019’s The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain debates conventional church exorcisms versus the misinterpretation of possession as a mental health problem, a discussion rooted in a historical lack of medical evidence and knowledge. Intriguing and captivating, at least.
Discussing exorcism and mental health
David Midell acts as director and scriptwriter, with additional screenplay assistance from Enrico Natale, this is not a continuation or remake of the 2017 Netflix film with the same title. The film will especially appeal to horror fans.
Al Pacino is Father Theophilus Riesinger, a senior exorcist who has long withdrawn from service due to a grueling past. Meanwhile, Dan Stevens admirably plays Father Joseph Steiger, a young priest who is skeptical about exorcism and is assigned to accompany him.
The church sent both priests to exorcise Emma Schmidt, a woman whose symptoms include severe seizures, speaking in a foreign language, and drastic personality changes. Her desperate family, rearing her condition will worsen to what they thought the demonic possession, asks the church to perform an exorcism.
When the exorcism process begins, the two priests face great challenges. Beyond the horror of dark forces possessing Emma, the film also explores the priests’ conflicting perspectives on exorcism. Amid screams, prayers, and exhausting rituals, they share a common objective to save Emma.
Among many films about exorcism, The Rituals stands out from the rest in several ways. Midell and Natale’s story is derived from the most documented and widely publicized exorcism in American history.
At its core, the plot follows a familiar narrative of spirit possession. However, the plot grows increasingly intense as the story unfolds. It gives the audience time to get to know the two main characters, Father Theo and Father Joseph.
The conflict centers on two opposing ideologies. Father Theo believes that what happened to Emma was the result of an evil spirit. He represents a conservative priest who thinks that evil spirits are the enemies of humanity and can harm anyone who is possessed.
Meanwhile, Father Joseph, grieving on his brother’s suicide, is more concerned with Emma’s suffering and urges her to seek medical help. In one scene, he explains that Emma shows signs of epilepsy.
The story is not your typical possession-and-exorcism story. Though it shares many elements with traditional horror films, when else does an actor like Al Pacino play a horror film about exorcism? Stevens, whose fame soared after Downton Abbey in 2010, also shines in a standout performance.
Both actors are the driving force of this film, presenting astonishing acting quality. The film immerses the audience in the debate between traditional exorcism and modern medical explanations of possession. It thoughtfully explores the relationship between exorcism and mental health.
Possession or mental illness?
Based on a true story, the film follows 46-year-old Emma Schmidt, whose years of distress are never clearly attributed to mental illness or possession. In 1928, this story became a sensational newspaper headline. The case reportedly inspired the creation of The Exorcist (1973).
This movie stick towards a humanist nuance than horror. With minimal reliance on jump scares or sound effects, it evokes horror through subtle means. However, Midell directs the audience to focus on Emma who is physically and mentally exhausted.
The fatigue she experiences after both the exorcism and her visit to the psychiatrist is palpable. Likewise, her physical and mental state appears to be consumed by whatever force is restraining her. The narratives open up the possibility that Emma’s experiences may not be supernatural.
However, this film is not about anti-exorcism practices. Neither the film nor the true story provides a definitive answer as to whether Emma’s sickness and incident were supernatural or psychological. At the very least, the film encourages viewers to consider how such cases should be approached.
The Ritual is interesting because it is not a horror that focuses on the act of exorcism. Instead, it takes a more humane approach, logically questioning whether possession should be viewed through a modern health lens, such as mental illness.
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