Roger Ebert got it 100% right in his review

I agree that they rarely have sympathetic characters who are playing the mentally unstable villain.

Things to consider however-first it's a movie so it's going for entertainment first and less likely to be making a political statement, though sometimes they can do both.

Most people who have mental illness are not dangerous in real life.

People who are dangerous and have mental illness if put in a situation where you, the so called normal person is fighting for your own life and you kill them you are not treating mentally ill people badly. You are simply fighting for your life. Lets face it just like most things, it's up to the sick person to get help, not an innocent person being put in danger. If there is a way to help the person without risking your family or yourself, of course that is the right decision, but that is rarely portrayed in a movie-or those that should be stepping in do not.

...I think Ebert was expecting something else and when he didn't get what he wanted, he gave the film a somewhat bad review...
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This is typical of some of his reviews and is too subjective regarding his own opinion, if it doesn't fit into his mould or expectation of what the a film should or could have delivered. Could these be considered entitlement issues? Reviewers like Ebert are a thing of the past and are no more than armchair critics like the rest of us that can haunt these boards. The public would have been interested in or cared about what he had to say about a film and the influence he had—like many other popular media critics—could have also determined a films success. He was a jerk.


Exorcist: Christ's power compels you. Cast out, unclean spirit.
Destinata:💩

The best picture nomination may not have been based on it's true merit. Most critics gave it a good rating, not not a great (4 star) rating. Films are frequently nominated due to popularity (Cleopatra, Towering Inferno, etc.)

There would have been no emotional payoff with this though and life can be unkind and unfair enough as it is. While Dan was equally responsible for his actions and the danger he brought into their lives, Alex was the one who pushed, harassed and flipped her lid to a boiling point. Dan was stable and not unsound of mind like Alex, who turned out to be not only a danger to herself; but to others. Dan getting framed for her death, could have been considered contrived and way too depressing. Dan thought he had killed her; but it was Beth who put an end to it. Beth was in a sense the innocent party, yet her character was the one who would have gone through the most change. She kept her threat\promise and this was very satisfying to me.


Exorcist: Christ's power compels you. Cast out, unclean spirit.
Destinata:💩