Netflix’s “The Devil All The Time” is a mystery and psychological thriller. The film has sinister characters, dealing with shocking violence, the menaces of religion, the secrets of power, and the family the audience comes to learn about. It tells the story of a family’s generation impacted by violence. Those suspected of being holy have proven that they can be truly evil by exploiting the innocents’ beliefs. This movie tells a great story, with multi-layered characters and a gruesome plot. The is an R-rated film for its overall violence, language and sexual content.
This film’s plot is put together by three storylines that end up merging into one intricate tale. These storylines bend the plot’s chronology, switching between the past and the present. For some, the hard- to- follow plot actually highlights the important points of the film, making it easy to understand and worth diving into.
The story starts with soldier Williard Russel, who returns home after serving in World War II with post-traumatic stress disorder. The trauma of seeing someone crucified and dying has caused him to turn to faith, fearing that the war had stained his life. His PTSD and religious beliefs end up being pushed onto his son, Arwin Russel, at a young age. He suffered many traumatic experiences as a young boy, from his father performing a religious sacrifice on his beloved dog in an attempt to save his horribly sick mother to discovering his father’s body who died by suicide. This causes Arwin to live his life resolving difficult matters with violence, which stirs up a lot of trouble in town.
This story deals with many gruesome themes of the world such as violence, power in politics, rape, murder, family issues, trauma, pornography, and the selfish, evil ways people take advantage of religion. The issues that create these themes are accurately showcased in the story. Arwin’s trauma causes him to use violence in solving issues and his stepsister, Lenora Lafery, has grown to fear things around her, finding comfort in the wrong things.
The acting is another attribute that helps the film stand out. The actors do a phenomenal job of bringing these characters to life and showing the intensity of the scenes. The film has many well-known actors like Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, and many more. For some of these actors, this movie might have been some of their best acting yet. While this film may not be for everyone because of its gruesome themes, the storyline is intense and intricate and the acting is amazing. It’s possibly one of Netflix’s best especially since it made the top of Netflix’s Top 10 list a few hours after its release.
