Last week, we sat down to watch The Devil All the Time (2020) and absolutely loved it. I won't spend time lauding the cast because everyone has written about how awesome the performances were and rightly so. There is one scene between Tom Holland's character and Rob Pattinson's character that makes the film worth watching on its own.
I know it is receiving mixed reviews, but it is easily my favorite film this year. And, because my opinion matters so much, I'm going to tell you why.
I think it is a wonderful depiction of the difference between a sinner and an evil person. A sinner is a good person that does bad things and has remorse for those actions. An evil person, however, does horrible things and has no remorse for their actions until they are facing punishment. We don't like to say someone is "evil" and we all desire "complex" characters that have some good in them, but occasionally, it is good to remind ourselves that some people just don't fit that narrative. We have come to see 'evil' as a caricature. To combat that, most artists have sought out the humanity inside of these types of people. The Devil All the Time says to hell with that and looks at what makes these people inhumane.
The film depicts several forms of evil by using a variety of characters as representatives. These characters seek positions of authority in places like the church or law enforcement because it gives them the power to do the inhumane things they desire. They abuse the people around them with no guilt. People, to them, are a means to end: pleasure, power, or dominance.
Some characters just ignore the evil around them because it would cause too much friction to break away from it. The film doesn't spend as much time evaluating these apathetic characters in any way separate from the evil characters. Whether or not it was intentional, it would seem that apathy is an evil of its own. While it is portrayed as less than, the punishment comes nonetheless. If you want to subject yourself to viewing the worst impulses of humanity, this film is a good choice for you.
I'll be honest though, this is a difficult watch because of the grotesqueness of the actions. There are depictions of bodily mutilation, child molestation, and multiple crucifixions. At times, it was disturbing, but I think it got its point across. By forcing us to look at these things in violent detail, we can't simply ignore them as just words. They are not, as one character says, "delusions." These evil people are a part of society and are drawn to positions that give them power over others.
The story of the film takes a good chunk of time to set up. I, personally, felt invested and curious in the story early on. The story centers around a religious family who hopes their faith will shield them from the shit-storm that is the world. Unfortunately, it does not. I won't give too much away, but the one line that sticks with me in the story is that the world is full of "no good sons of bitches." We, as the audience, see an argument for how to deal with these people. Essentially, you shouldn't start fights, but you damn well better finish them.
Whether or not dealing with other humans in this way is moral or not is not the major question. The major question is how did it make you feel to watch what happens to all the various characters? Do you feel vindicated? Did they deserve it? The film almost tricks us into rooting for someone who is doing morally questionable things. I am, of course, referring to the things that the protagonist, Arvin, does. Would we do them? How would we know? We sit comfortably on our couches while watching films on Netflix and we believe that we would be morally superior to Arvin? What if these horrific things happened to your family? How would you feel? How would you act? It's too easy to separate ourselves from Arvin because (most of us) never face these decisions in real life.
There is also some sense of fate in the film. Some idea that, sometimes, people can't avoid these situations. , Arvin is our representative in the film. His fate, seemingly, intertwines him with all of these different sorts of evils. His story begins and ends in the same place: violence. The interactions themselves seem like fate, but how he responds is his decision. He has a choice, and he does what his father told him to do. What does that make Arvin? I don't think the point of this story is that Arvin is evil. He is a sinner; there's no doubt about that. His upbringing and the tragedy he faced gave him the necessary tools to survive encounters with evil. We see multiple characters in the film that don't survive these encounters. Sometimes, it's a failure on their part and sometimes it's just bad luck. The world outlook the film portrays is bleak. Is the only way to combat evil with brutal violence? The Devil All the TIme would seem to have you think so.
What is the lesson to be learned? Perhaps, it is that we must acknowledge that there are people that wish to do us harm, and we must be ever vigilant to avoid them if we can. If we can't? We must fight.