Streaming on Netflix
"You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped."
-John Armstrong
One of the more under-discussed horrors of the human condition is the psychology of trauma. Sure, plenty of stories and scientific studies explore and examine this aspect of psychological and emotional pain. Still, most of them (at least in my experience) tend to forget that while wanting to help someone from harm (either by others or themselves) is in and of itself a good thing, there are some cases when such efforts are regrettably futile. Sometimes, no matter how apparent the cause of ones suffering or undoing may be, their ultimate salvation must come from within. If they do not dare to seek it out for themselves, they will never find it, and the best we can do is help those who will.
A fantastic and beautifully crafted iteration of this idea is dutifully explored in the Netflix limited series Devil in Ohio. It is a story of trauma, abuse, survival, family, love, the desire to save someone in need, and the importance of being more mindful of who you try to save and why.
Based on the novel by Daria Polatin, the story follows Dr. Suzanne (Emily Deschanel), a social worker specializing in foster care for abused children. One night while on shift, she takes the case of a young girl named Mae (Madeleine Arthur), who was found on the side of the road with a massive wound on her back. Based on what little information they can glean from her, she appears to have escaped an abusive family (located in the mysterious area of Amon County) with unusual religious practices (to put it mildly). With nowhere else to go, Suzanne takes her into her home as her temporary guardian to keep her safe from her abusers and to hopefully figure out how best to keep her safe. Along with the help of Detective Lopez (Gerardo Celasco), Suzanne must solve the mystery of Mae's destructive family and, in the process, confront her own past demons. A task that proves itself easier said than done when strange things occur, casting a cloud of uncertainty and potential danger over the entire family. How far Suzanne will go to help those she cares about (and what her true motivations are) remains to be seen.
This series is, quite simply, perfect! I do not make that statement lightly. I have difficulty finding aspects of this series that would lower its high score. While it does have a few flaws here in there, mainly in the form of typical horror story cliches (like entering the house when you suspect a burglary in progress instead of hightailing it out of there), they are so few and far between as to be rendered negligible. It's scarce to stumble upon a show or movie that does so many things correctly and with commendable conviction.
The writing is where the series shines brightest. The characters are likable & relatable, have sympathetic flaws, and are intelligent. No character does anything stupid or out-of-character to advance the plot. The dialogue is sound and provides much of the film's wit and eerieness. Every aspect of the story and plot is expertly handled and treated with the utmost verisimilitude. I won't spoil how the story turns out, but I will say that it's much more human than you might think.
The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous! Why? one word: Contrast. A common issue with modern cinematography is the tendency to want images that look more natural and "realistic" with lighting that presents how a scene might look in the real world. The only problem is with any movie or television show; we already know it's not the real world, so we don't care if it looks realistic. At least not to such a degree that dark scenes are incomprehensible. The lighting in this series, especially during the nighttime scenes, perfectly conveys the intended mood, builds the appropriate atmosphere, and allows a fully comprehensive display of every moment. It should serve as a masterclass on how best to light a dark scene.
While I must provide a trigger warning to some of my beautiful readers for depictions of domestic & child abuse and self-harm, Devil in Ohio is a must-watch in every conceivable way. It is a tactfully crafted story with valuable lessons and a commentary on an aspect of the human condition that must be discussed more often than it typically is. If you have a Netflix account, do not delay seeing this series.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
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