The Devil All the Time (Streaming Weds., September 16 on Netflix)
In the small Ohio town of Knockemstiff, young Arvin (Tom Holland) ferrets out secret evildoers to punish each for his crimes during the 1950s and ‘60s. From an award-winning, ultra-violent, 2009 novel by Donald Ray Pollock (serving here as narrator), the film boasts strong performances, especially by Robert Pattinson portraying the dubious preacher and Holland as the young man meaning to set things right. The film, penned by director Antonio Campos and his brother Paulo, tells us rather than shows us. It paints dark characters but neglects to reveal their motives.
Antebellum (Streaming Fri., September 18 on FandangoNOW & VUDU)
Janelle Monae portrays successful author Veronica Henley, a happily married mother focused on gender and racial equality. In another life, she’s Eden, a slave on a Southern plantation who is routinely raped by her keepers. Also appearing in both worlds is Jena Malone as a wealthy white lording her presumed superiority over Veronica/Eden. While Veronica’s 21st century life fulfills her ambitions, as Eden she struggles to survive until the hoped-for day when she flees her tormentors. The film’s lack of nuance and flat storytelling are complaints, but its horror elements and Monae's powerful performance, get a thumb’s up.
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