The story spans from WWII to Vietnam War dealing with deaths in religious rural America. Willard Russell (Bill Skarsgård) returns home from WWII in the Pacific after suffering from trauma. He marries waitress Charlotte (Haley Bennett) and together they have son Arvin. Arvin (Tom Holland) would become an orphan. He moves in with his grandparents who have adopted Lenora Laferty. They are raised as siblings. Lenora falls for new preacher Reverend Preston Teagardin (Robert Pattinson). Oh, there is also serial killer couple, Carl and Sandy.
This is a jumble. There is a lot here. There are some good performances. Skarsgård is especially good. The cast is terrific. There is a sense of places and times. It would be nice if the story could be simplified to just Arvin's life. There is too much story with too many characters although it's never confused. I love the themes of religion and death. I also love that this movie is going for something expansive. It's probably going for too much.
