Podcasting has challenged and made me grow as a person and viewer. It’s challenged me as a cinephile to watch movies I wouldn't normally watch prior to Victims. It wasn't until last year that I began to delve into foreign films, thanks to a film festival hosted by the good folks over at the Alamo Drafthouse, one of which even made my top 10 list for 2019. Exposing myself to these films has given me something a bit more as well. Movies can teach us. I've been using movies as a teaching tool for the better part of 10 years.
As a person, I've learned to become more objective, which has resulted in a more empathic response. It has taught me that the world isn't as black and white as I thought it was or that it should be. Religion just so happens to be one of those things. Recently, I read a comic on which there's a panel asking if one of the characters was a Christian man, to which that character responds, is there any other kind? The truth is that there isn't. We live in a world now that is filled with many different views, religions, and lifestyles. And that's okay. Movies have taught me how to see the perspective of others. Crazy, right? There is a plethora of those who have issues with the Church, as a whole, due to a multitude of reasons.
I won't say this is a new revelation by any means. Just, in recent years, a clearer one. It's always interesting to see thematic elements, like religion and interruptions, find their way into media. Such themes take center stage in the movie, The Devil All the Time. Devil depicts the story of Arvin (Tom Holland) as he navigates life in a deeply religious small town. What he comes to find is even the righteous are prone to secrets. I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I've never seen Holland outside of the MCU. I know he's done other projects like The Current War and In the Heart of the Sea. Those movies are outside my normal viewpoint. This was really my introduction to what he can do as an actor and he doesn't disappoint. Holland possesses a raw quality that the film is able to draw out extraordinarily well. He captivates through his southern charm and conviction in a performance which is no doubt one of this year's best.
Really what helps elevate his performance is the performance from Bill Skarsgard. Skarsgard, plays Holland's father, prior to his demise. The two are mirror images of one another, resulting in an uncannily beautiful depiction of generational habits. In some ways, the two feel like the same character, but that's the hidden beauty of the narrative. Holland and Skarsgard both embody how decisions of history influence our future. It's a beautiful theme woven throughout the tapestry of Devil. There are other examples of generations woven throughout that aren't implemented as well. Holland's onscreen sister, another orphan who is played by Eliza Scanlen, doesn't have such luck.
Her parents, played by Harry Melling and Mia Wasikowska, feel out of place in the film. Honestly, this isn't the only instance for a crowded narrative. I understand the need for world building but here it is a bit too much. Performances like Sébastian Stan, Melling, and Wasikowska come across unwarranted for the large part of the narrative. It does help in terms of world building but fails to bring anything else to the narrative. The worst offender of this might be the subplot of Jason Clarke and Riley Keough. The narrative attempts to set them up as what I can only guess would be the antagonists. They just come across as generic. The biggest sin of the Hendersons, the characters the couple play, is how the narrative fixates on them for an extended period of time, thus stopping every main narrative for 10 to 20 minutes - effectively making the movie longer than is needed.
Where Stan and Clarke come across as generic, attempting to pass as enticing, Robert Pattinson is the singular exception to this. What could have been just another bland performance comes out as an genuinely authoritative and commanding performance. Pattinson plays the small town's new pastor that borders on actual life figures like Keith Raniere. Pattinson is haunting in the performance. Although only occupying minimal screen time, he leaves a strong impression. The scene between him and Holland in the church will go down as one of my favorite scenes of the year, simply because of how well both actors are performing in the movie.
Overall, The Devil All the Time is a powerhouse drama with an impressive cast and enticing narrative. Unfortunately, the film relies more on its cast and world building than actual storytelling. A steep 138 minute run time is perhaps just a bit too long. Screen time that could have been reserved for the compelling growth of Tom Holland, in a career high performance, is squandered in favor of bizarre subplots that dampen the overall movie. Robert Pattinson is the only actor who elevates what could have been an otherwise subpar part.
RORSCHACH RATING:
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Victims and Villains is written Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey (and produced by), Caless Davis, Dan Rockwood, & Brandon Miller. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. The Devil All the Time is property of Netflix. We do not own nor claim any rights. This review was edited by Cam Smith. The Devil All the Time is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.
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