Director worked with family, book author for film adaptation
Filmmaker Antonio Campos is drawn to the darkness.
The director of 2012’s “Simon Killer” and 2016’s “Christine” — as well as episodes of shows including “The Sinner” and “The Punisher” — co-wrote and helmed an adaptation of Donald Ray Pollock’s 2011 gothic crime novel “The Devil All the Time.” Hitting Netflix Sept. 16, the film is filled with grimthemes and populated with people who commit evil acts.
“I think it is the challenge of making these dark characters — complicated characters — accessible and trying to understand what drives them and what motivates some of their bad choices,” said Campos, speaking recently to a handful of journalists via Zoom, about the appeal of fare such as “Devil.” “I think that exploring the darkness in books and art and movies — that’s a safe place to explore those things.
“It’s largely about finding the humanity inpeoplewho do bad things.
“To understand that side of the coin informs the way we perceive … life.”
Pollock’s story gave Campos and older brother Paulo, his co- writer, plenty of characters — some darker than others — to explore. “Devil” is a multiple-generation story centered around Arvin Russell ( Tom Holland, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider- Man), who is driven to protect his likewise- orphaned sister, Lenora (Eliza Scanlen of “Sharp Objects”), and who encounters all sorts of notso-lovely folks in his journey from childhood into adulthood.
The drama brings to the small screen an ensemble cast full of well-known actors, and Campos acknowledges that introducing — and then juggling — so many characters without overwhelming the viewer is challenging.
“What we had to do with this movie was introduce characters in the periphery and then let them be known by the audience so, when they come back, that you’re ready to go with them,” he says. “And that’s kind of why you have to cast some of these actors with recognizable faces because if … you’re like, ‘ Oh that’s Jason Clarke; that’s Riley Keough,’ you go, ‘ Oh, they’re going to be in this movie again.