The Five Devils (2023)
79%RT Audience Score: 71%
Awards & Nominations: NA
The Five Devils is a film that is both enchanting and perplexing, with its magical realism and unconventional storytelling. While some critics found fault in the film’s lack of focus, others praised its formal confidence and strong performances. Adèle Exarchopoulos shines in her role, bringing a sense of depth and emotion to the film’s exploration of transgenerational trauma. Director Léa Mysius shows great ambition in her sophomore effort, and while not entirely successful, The Five Devils is a stylish and subversive psychodrama that will leave audiences both intrigued and bewitched.
The Five Devils is a wild ride through family drama, magical realism, and black girl magic. While some critics found the film to be overly ambitious or sentimental, I found it to be a playful and strange journey that kept me hooked until the end. The killer soundtrack, strong performances, and visual appeal make this film a must-see for anyone who loves a good psychodrama. Plus, who doesn’t love a little time-traveling and witchy intrigue? Overall, The Five Devils is a fun and imaginative film that will leave you thinking long after the credits roll.
Production Company(ies)
Foreign Language, Psychological, Sister
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Seine-Saint-Denis, France; France
MPAA / Certificate
NR
Year of Release
2023
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 35m
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Language(s):French
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Country of origin:France
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 24, 2023 Limited
Genre(s)
Drama/Fantasy
Keyword(s)
Drama, Fantasy, French (France), Léa Mysius, Jean-Louis Livi, Fanny Yvonnet, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Sally Dramé, Swala Emati, Moustapha Mbengue, Daphne Patakia, Patrick Bouchitey, Paul Guilhaume, Limited Release, $38.2K Box Office, Critic Reviews, Peter Debruge, Richard Whittaker, Michael O’Sullivan, Kevin Maher, Drew Gregory, Sophie Butcher, Rene Sanchez, Hope Madden, Emiliano Basile, Dustin Chang, Dennis Schwartz, Taylor Baker, Family Secrets, Queer Romance, Magical Realism, Time Travel, Scent, Transgenerational Trauma, Black Girl Magic
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $5,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $5,000,000
Production budget ranking: 1,821
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $2,692,500
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Sally Dramé – Vicky
Swala Emati – Julia
Moustapha Mbengue – Jimmy
Daphne Patakia – Nadine
Patrick Bouchitey – Jean Yvon
Director – Léa Mysius
Producers – Jean-Louis Livi, Fanny Yvonnet
Writers – Léa Mysius, Paul Guilhaume
Director(s)
Léa Mysius
Writer(s)
Léa Mysius, Paul Guilhaume, Léa Mysius, Paul Guilhaume
Producer(s)
Jean-Louis Livi, Fanny Yvonnet
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (56) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (9)
The… director is more ambitious than she is successful this time around.
April 1, 2023
Peter Debruge
Variety
TOP CRITIC
If The Five Devils more bravely embraced a single perspective, that might have better bound together its depiction of a family splitting apart.
March 30, 2023 | Rating: 2.5/5
Richard Whittaker
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
The film’s magical realism heightens its otherwise conventional contours and sharpens its otherworldly pleasures.
March 29, 2023 | Rating: 3/5
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
A surfeit of storytelling ambition is the only thing that threatens to upend this otherwise startling second feature from the French director Léa Mysius.
March 27, 2023 | Rating: 3/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
With a killer soundtrack, formal confidence, and strong performances, the film invites the audience to embrace the narrative’s chewiness.
March 26, 2023
Drew Gregory
Autostraddle
TOP CRITIC
[The film] loses its edge, building towards an overly sentimental, saccharine ending – but there’s more than enough witchy intrigue, interesting filmmaking and an array of strong performances to keep you compelled.
March 24, 2023 | Rating: 4/5
Sophie Butcher
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Adèle Exarchopoulos shines in this sensorial and enigmatic journey about transgenerational trauma. [Full Review in Spanish]
April 7, 2023 | Rating: 3/4
Rene Sanchez
Cine Sin Fronteras
This is an unusual film, generous with its characters even as it looks at the selfishness of love, the neediness within family, and the strange battles we fight.
April 4, 2023 | Rating: 3.5/5
Hope Madden
MaddWolf
The Five Devils is a playful and strange movie with visual appeal that lures the spectator into a journey through the power of imagination. [Full review in Spanish]
April 3, 2023 | Rating: 8/10
Emiliano Basile
EscribiendoCine
The Five Devils turns into a poignant story about prejudices and acceptance, with black girl magic elements.
April 3, 2023
Dustin Chang
ScreenAnarchy
A stylish, supernatural, weird and subversive psychodrama.
March 31, 2023 | Rating: B
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
Léa Mysius’s The Five Devils is a noteworthy sophomore film, not just in its accomplished delivery of craft but its effortlessness at capturing the story of a young girl time-traveling while a family and small community seem to splinter apart.
March 30, 2023 | Rating: 68/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies…
Plot
When Vicky’s estranged aunt returns to town, the young girl’s ability to recreate scents leads her on a journey to uncover family secrets and queer romance in the magical realism drama, The Five Devils.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Adèle Exarchopoulos shines in her role as Joanne in The Five Devils.
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