Fascination follows when a film decides to take a glimpse into the concept of fate bringing together characters and worlds by sheer luck and circumstance. A world that feels random in what cards it will give out to everyday people good or bad. For me, good and bad in a simple concept that forces labels onto actions and lifestyles we judge or deem from unique viewpoints shaped by nature/nurture. The Devil All The Time puts up a mirror to the cruelness and tragedy of human nature; providing easy answers to the meaning of certain events and how characters choose to make sense of the world around them is futile. Human lives intertwined with physical and spiritual realms that either leads to salvation or damnation.

Netflix should be proud that they believed in the vision of Antonio Campos. Campos depicts a side of America that often is lampooned in the era of memes and widespread ignorance; the backwoods of religion dominated rural America. The way in which characters use the divine force to act as a guiding light on the path to eternal life is explored. Another dimension of this theme shows how religion can drive a human mind to commit acts that are a far cry from what the Bible constitutes as praiseworthy. The tool of manipulation (welded by a charismatic but dark turn from Robert Pattinson) in the hands of "enlighted" reverends that can lead to a domino effect of tragic proportions. Cycles of violence, tragedy, suicide, and the ramifications of abandonment on the psyche stirs together a watch demanding extra viewings for all of its symbolic musings.

Many characters are introduced but the space of the film never gets bogged down by the many stories swirling around the melting pot of this micro world. A strong recommendation from yours truly.

2020 Ranked