Antonio Campos' psychological-thriller starring "The Avengers" mainstay Tom Holland and Sebastian Stan. "The Devil All The Time" is about a young man who uses violence as a means to protect the people he loves.
Willard Russell (Skarsgård) taught his son, Arvin Russell (Holland), to fight those who bully him. "I want you to finish it," he said. Emphasizing the need for violence to stop more of it. A US Marine, Willard is a disturbed man traumatized by the war and the people he killed. In an attempt to show remorse, he retreats to faith and religion to wash-out his sins. But fate has other plans. He instead lost his wife and, ultimately, his insanity. Leaving behind Arvin who inherits almost nothing from him.
As the world grows more sinister and cruel, Arvin grows protective, distrustful, and oblivious of his town's devils that include a husband and wife (Clarke & Keough) serial killers, a corrupt cop (Stan), and a rapist priest (Pattinson). All of which hides behind their respected titles and good deeds to prey and oppress others.
"The Devil All The Time" is an intimate character study of youth faced with life's extremely grim and deadly reality. Campos' movie illustrates the dangerous consequence of a person recognizing his emptiness in a world of depravity, frustration, and desire. He proposes that a nihilistic view of the world leads to only chaos.
And that shows in "The Devil All The Time". The movie unfolds like a horror movie. It's grim and bleak and almost always discomforting. It's devoided of hope, and full of fear and stress. At the heart of it, is a narrative that was in a constant state of disorder.
Honestly, the topics discussed in the movie is too serious and depressing to take in. Especially in a time of crisis, watching this film should be taken with a grain of salt.
Nevertheless, "The Devil All The Time" parade a great ensemble cast that did just enough to make it compelling. Tom Holland, probably, is not the perfect person to fill the character of Arvin. But, his charm and charisma make everything bearable.
it's really difficult to point out what this movie wants to impart with its viewers. "The Devil All The Time" presented a world that's extremely chaotic because of the emptiness felt by the people that traverse it. It's depressing and hopeless. Watching it requires strength and open-mindedness. Probably, it's better to watch something else than dive into this bleak movie.
2/5
