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The people of a certain village in the country are kept very happy -
because a box they pray to fulfills them all their wishes, even if these
wishes include bringing back lost love ones and the like. The box is said
to be made from the wood of Noah's Arc - but everyone with half a
braincell should probably be able to see who's really behind it ... Of
late though, the box seems to have let down Erick (John Basedow), who has
wished for his terminally ill daughter Marcella's (Julia Gregorio) life to
be spared. The wish was granted, but now she has a relapse, so Erick ...
told a priest. This doesn't make the man who controls the box - the Devil
(Joe Ciminera) of course, duh - less than happy, so he withdraws from the
village and makes all granted wishes undone. Not only that, all of the
souls he has brought back he now condemns to especially dark places. The
village is in an uproar soon enough, as what never should have been there
is now taken from them ... and they soon find a culprit, a random girl
they label a witch, then they call in a bunch of priests and monks from
the Vatican to perform an exorcism on her. The Devil has of course his own
plans with the priests and monks, and while they await the tenth hour to
perform the exorcism, he has his mean little fun with them, exposing them
to all sorts of otherworldly horrors, and especially a young monk (Frank
Riano) whose faith has never been too strong seems to be easy prey. The
exorcism itself goes from bad to worse when the Devil plays tricks on the
priests and monks rather deliberately, and in the process he digs up the
darkest secrets from the minds of all the holy men, and their strong
beliefs soon prove pointless. And in the end, only one man is left
standing ... Allegedly shot without any actual script, Acedia
is nevertheless a fascinating film, as it never loses sight of its overall
theme and - despite relying on associative storytelling rather than a
linear narrative - comes together as a whole quite brilliantly. Add to
this a very atmospheric direction that successfully marries gothic cinema
from decades ago to more contemporary Japanese ghost stories, fittingly
moody (if limited) locations, and a great overall feel for the macabre -
and you got yourself a very unique and enjoyably creepy piece of cinema. Recommended!
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find Acedia at adultvideouniverse.com
