The Five Devils
A lot of filmmakers have approached examining life through the past over the years. Some of the most interesting versions of that idea have involved a blurring of past and present, and especially as a child has become more aware of their parent’s past as a result. “The Five Devils” does that, but almost in a psychological horror setting, as a daughter finds herself traveling back to the past when her aunt comes to stay with her parents for a few days. In a weird way, if you found yourself captivated by “Petite Mamen” last year, I think this one will hit you the same way that did, though this is a darker variation on that idea.
Vickey (Sally Dramé) is the daughter of Joanne (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Jimmy (Moustapha Mbengue), and she has a hard time with kids at school, who pick on her and bully her. She has a unique gift, however, in being able to recreate scents that she comes across. When her aunt, Julia (Swala Emati), comes to visit, however, the scents she experiences allow her to go back in time and see Julia and Joanne when they were teenagers. There are a many reasons why Julia has been estranged from Joanne and Jimmy for several years, which the past helps fill in the gaps for.
In the past few months, we’ve seen several filmmakers use songs in a way that gets to the thematic and emotional heart of the film or a moment- thinking about “Under Pressure” in “Aftersun” and “Let’s Dance” in “Bardo”- and I would argue “The Five Devils” does something similar here with Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” It doesn’t remix the song in the same way those two films did, but the song is played twice in the film- once during one of Vickey’s time travel moments and another in the present during a night out with the family. The impact is the same- the emotional core of the film’s story is laid bare, and the trajectory of the film changes significantly, and builds to its heartfelt climax.
The film’s use of magical realism in this story is compelling, signifying some darker sense of reality while also pointing to poignant truths underneath. Mysius isn’t interested in playing to genre but the emotions of the story, and how learning about the past- and understanding the pains that came from it- can lead to change that might be difficult at first, but ultimately positive for all involved. It makes for a fascinating, unexpected experience.
