The Five Devils

This alluring and sneakily emotional film is never confusing...

The... director is more ambitious than she is successful this time around.

If The Five Devils more bravely embraced a single perspective, that might have better bound together its depiction of a family splitting apart.

The film’s magical realism heightens its otherwise conventional contours and sharpens its otherworldly pleasures.

A surfeit of storytelling ambition is the only thing that threatens to upend this otherwise startling second feature from the French director Léa Mysius.

With a killer soundtrack, formal confidence, and strong performances, the film invites the audience to embrace the narrative’s chewiness.

Although the film’s many threads don’t always cohere, the stunning cinematography by Paul Guilhaume (who also co-wrote the script) at least gives the film a distinct visual flare.

There is debate over whether or not these aspects all blend together, but the film’s best scenes certainly outweigh any weaker ones. It is well worth watching to decide for yourself.

Enigmatic, at times compelling, but ultimately puzzling and disappointing.

Though there’s perhaps a touch too much mystery in this beguiling supernatural drama, The Five Devils remains a spellbinding watch.