The Devil All the Time is a Netflix original film, released on Sept. 16, that’s quickly risen to the top 10 movies on the streaming platform. This crime drama features well-known actors like Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson, whose characters populate a backwoods American town in the ‘50s that struggles with violence and corruption.
What The Devil All the Time does well is perfectly capture the world’s current emotional state in two hours and 18 minutes. This is also its downfall. It will have viewers shaking their heads, wondering what in the hell is going on, and not just because the film wields multiple plotlines and sets of characters which slowly converge together.
The Devil All the Time at least has an accurate title: the film is a rollercoaster of crime from beginning to end. Like 2020, it is tumultuous and upsetting. The on-screen violence is dark (think animal sacrifices and serial killings), constant, and absolutely senseless. It seems like things consistently go from bad to worse for our characters every 20 minutes, and director Antonio Campos does a great job of emotionally connecting audiences with the cast. However, this makes it all the more difficult to watch because there seems to be no take-away message. Is it perhaps that life sucks? Or maybe that vigilante justice is the only option in the face of corruption? The film’s traumatic imagery is rarely used to further the narrative, and whatever message Campos is trying to convey is lost in the chaos.
The one aspect that flourished and stood out about the movie was its acting. With an impressive cast of actors, it’s no surprise that each character’s performance is heart-wrenching. We see tear-jerking scenes where characters grieve as they lose their family, their dignity, or their innocence with little amends being made. Additionally, Robert Pattinson’s profusely thick Appalachian accent deserves a separate recognition for the gleaming beacon of light that it is. Never have I heard an accent so perfectly suited to a character: pretentious, high-pitched, nasally, yet delivered with the perfect amount of Southern twang. While all characters in the film sport an accent, Pattinson’s specifically is polarizing, with some viewers arguing that it hurts the movie. I say it’s nearly the best part of the film, or at least the best part of a very scummy character.
Arguably, what this year needs for entertainment is purposeful and insightful media, not more trauma used to shock audiences. If violence is a major theme, what is its purpose? Is it necessary to leave audiences without much resolution, unsure of what to do with film-induced anxiety in a world already in turmoil? Viewers can relate to the continuous series of unfortunate events that unfold on screen, but by the end of the movie, they’re no more sure of how to progress than before. The Devil All the Time touches on themes that could’ve been further explored for a more meaningful and impactful movie: what is there to learn about shared trauma between people? How are the protagonists able to regain control of their lives and happiness?
2020 seems to be continuing its legacy of going to hell in a handbasket, so if you’re along for the ride, check out The Devil All the Time. Although it doesn’t have much of an uplifting message to impart on its viewers, it’ll captivate you until the end with its acting, penchant for violence, and quick pacing. The experience is much like driving by a car crash: you’ll be both enticed and disturbed by what you see.
Chandy is a biology major/chemistry minor who's been a staff writer, Arts editor, and Managing Editor at The Cascade. She began writing in elementary school when she produced Tamagotchi fanfiction to show her peers at school -- she now lives in fear that this may have been her creative peak.
