‘The Devil All the Time’ is a psychological thriller directed by Antonio Campos who is famous for hit films like ‘Afterschool’ (2008), ‘Silent Killer’ (2012) and ‘Christine’ (2016). Based on the novel of the same name by Donald Ray Pollock, the film has Tom Holland, Robert Pattison, Bill Skarsgard, Sebastian Stan and Mia Wasikowska. Though it suffered with its release due to the coronavirus pandemic but it found a home at Netflix after being released in some theatres.
Set in the town of Knockemstiff, Ohio, the story revolves around the residents of the area who are somehow connected to Arvin Russell (Tom Holland).
The story is divided into two sections. During the 1940s, Willard Russell (Bill Skarsgård) returns home to Knockemstiff from World War II, carrying the heavy weight of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Willard’s son is Arvin (Michael Banks Repeta) who is nine in the first section of the film.
Then, during the 1960s, where Arvin, now a troubled orphan, is traumatised by the death of his parents. His mother Charlotte (Haley Bennett) dies from cancer and, in grief, his father commits suicide, leaving him alone. He now lives with his step sister Lenora (Eliza Scanlen), grandmother Emma (Kristin Griffith) and great uncle Earskell (David Atkinson).
Lenora’s father was killed by Carl and Sandy Henderson (Jason Clarke and Riley Keough), a creepy couple who goes around picking up male hitchhikers and then killing them after satisfying Carl’s desires. But because the town’s Sheriff Lee Bodecker (Sebastian Stan) is Sandy’s older brother, they never get caught. Her mother (Mia Wasikowska) was also murdered by an evil preacher (Harry Melling). So when another corrupt preacher Reverend Preston Teagardin (Robert Pattison) enters the narrative and flirts with Lenora, Arvin has to decide if he can stop the cycles of violence.
With Luger pistol in hand, Willard’s gun gifted to him by Earskell, and his father’s advice in mind of begetting violence with more violence, Arvin fights the evil forces threatening him and his family.
From the powerful early scenes, Antonio Campos’ script (co-written with his brother Paolo) brings out how various other stories of people are connected to the Russell family. Handsomely produced and confidently put together, the film narrates how multiple generations, including different families, are impacted by murder and tragedy.
Running from the 1940s to the 1960s, the tone of the story sets the film as one of the most anticipated Netflix releases. Other strong elements in the film are the soundtrack and photography with special praise for Campos’ decision to shoot on film.
There are strong performances throughout. Bill as Willard brilliantly portrays the man who is stuck between believing whether God can hear him or not and the traumatising effects of World War II. Tom as Arvin shows his range as an actor who can dive into any character he is given. Jason and Riley as Carl and Sandy perfectly fit the role as disturbing partners in crime. Robert Pattinson as the preacher is a hateful snob with a plausible ickiness who seduces Lenora while humiliating Arvin’s grandma because of the allegedly low-grade cooking she brings to the church.
Though Arvin is mainly the central character of the film, the writers make sure that the viewers are up to date with whatever’s happening in the life of the other residents of Knockemstiff. Hence, the action often drifts away from Arvin as an attempt to keep the audiences entertained.
‘The Devil All the Time’ is all about darkness and violence within. It is vicious and cruel in ways that will turn off a lot of viewers. But kudos to the director Antonio Campos for his willingness to dig into the darkest aspects of the human condition as that is what makes the film rewarding for many.
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