The Redemption of the Devil

The titular devil in director Hoffman's 2015 documentary is Jesse Hughes, best known for fronting Los Angeles rock band the Eagles of Death Metal (EDM), but he is also an ordained minister and online radio show host. Hoffman's cinema verité camera follows the complex and charismatic Hughes through the highlights of an eventful 2014, as he writes and records a new EDM album, plays a few solo and full-band concerts, considers running for political office as a gun-toting archconservative, and joins his girlfriend in a raunchy photo shoot. But these good times are balanced by the emotional toll of trying to reunite with his estranged son and salvage a relationship that clearly means a lot to Hughes but has been damaged by a custody battle. By turns sweet, silly, heartbreaking, and bawdy, this production captures the daily joys and struggles of a talented and driven artist with a full, sometimes fun, and sometimes difficult life.