Reviews

• 

  ★★★½ review by Milo on Letterboxd

  The Demons is another overlooked gem to come out of Mubi's catalogue and it's a Canadian French language drama from director Philippe Lesage who puts us in the mindset of a young boy Felix who is on the edge of adolescence. It's a slow burn and not particularly the most exciting movie that I've ever seen, but it's worth a watch if you get the chance, with a largely young cast of children (and only a few adult actors) really carrying the movie. Édouard Tremblay-Grenier (who shares no relation to Jacob Tremblay & Olympique Lyonnais' midfielder Clement Grenier) is impressive as Felix in this character-study, and although it may bore some it did manage to hold my attention for its runtime, which eventually builds up to an unexpected ending. The film itself gets progressively darker over the course of its movie as well, so it's worth bearing that in mind.

  Haunting and a rewarding slow-burn, The Demons is a solid film that might be my least favourite of the three films that I've watched on Mubi so far (with The Ogres and Parisienne both being the superior films, but it was a nice experimental viewing that was also particularly well shot. It may not be the best movie out there but there are far worse too, so if you're looking for an interesting viewing experience it might be worth giving this one a try. It's also worth noting that this film has plenty of excellent long-takes as well, that really work in its favour.

• 

  ★★★★ review by javi on Letterboxd

  I’m deeply in love with everything about this film - and the three siblings are perfection.🧡

• 

  ★★★★ review by Olivier Lemay on Letterboxd

  I thought on my first watch that this was utterly incomprehensible but two years later I might have a vague idea what most of this was about but I’m still absolutely confused if this is supposed to take place in the 80’s or is it just this family that’s a bunch of hipsters??

• 

  ★★★½ review by A. H. on Letterboxd

  Growing up includes realising the world is a scary place and some things that seem frightening from a child’s perspective turn out to be not so bad while new fears emerge we didn't see coming.
  
  10 year old protagonist Felix is trying to make sense of the adult world and his visions are nightmarish. The permanently uneasy atmosphere is complemented with blues music and shot in a naturalist style. Still there a many joyful moments to be had and it's overall a satisfying story.

• 

  ★★★★½ review by Adriii on Letterboxd

  Demonios interiores bajo una cámara depredadora (qué planos) y una música desasosegante. 'Les Demons' da para desgranar las intenciones de cada puesta en escena, de cómo elige ponernos en los zapatos del niño protagonista con esa narración visual, esa violencia fuera de campo y esa estructura sugerente. Está MUY bien medida y tiene mano tratando temas delicados sin caer en la condescendencia o el tremendismo.

• See all reviews