Director Atom Egoyan returns with his new film Devil’s Knot, which tells the story of the infamous murders of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas circa 1993 the conviction and trials of three male teenagers in the belief that a satanic cult performed what were seen as sacrificial killings; the crime is commonly referred to as the West Memphis Three. The film reminds audiences of the ambiguity that surrounds criminal proceedings, and provides a new meaning to the expression “innocent until proven guilty.” With its plot and cinematography, Devil’s Knot leaves viewers with an uneasy sensation of uncertainty and doubt — even when explained by the director himself.
An advanced screening of the film was held at Innis Town Hall last Thursday, in celebration of Innis College’s fiftieth anniversary. While there, Egoyan described the film as quite dark, though a few comedic lines managed to slip through the otherwise bleak dialogue between characters.
Egoyan called Devil’s Knot a “mixing of genres,” a thriller-horror-murder mystery-courtroom drama-documentary detailing the exact events of the months of investigation into the West Memphis Three. “The movie is unsettling. There was lots of evidence [during the investigation], and everything in the film did happen, but there were so many loose ends, so much circumstantial evidence,” said Egoyan, explaining that the movie was not created to point fingers at any one group, as had previous documentaries and films on the event
Devil’s Knot begs the question of how we live with doubt. What kind of film shows what happens, but never shows why? How does it affect the human psyche? Audiences are treated to an experience similar, albeit far less gruesome, to the characters of the movie. With little to go on, emotions override logic, and blame is often put on those on the fringes of society. Egoyan described the film as a new experience. “I didn’t design it like my other films, I just plunged into it. I’m curious to see what the response is,” he said.
Devil’s Knot is now playing in theatres.
