Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke

Unlike a lot of buzzy streaming documentaries, “Devil” is not a sloppy rehash. Instead, it is pointed and insightful.

Devil In The Family: The Fall Of Ruby Franke is interesting because of the participation of Franke’s ex-husband and their two oldest children. Yes, it’s a tale of a family vlogger whose real family life was pretty dark. But the viewpoint of Kevin, Shari and Chad Franke really brings home just how horrible Ruby Franke was.

Some of the documentary’s most uncomfortable asides are those in which he appears to still be enamored with Ruby, even after she asked him to move out and cut off contact with the family, and after her abuse of their children had come to light. The dissonance is jarring to witness, especially in the final episode, which includes extensive descriptions (and some disturbing images) of the physical abuse that the two youngest children suffered. .... Their [Shari and Chad's] commentary is striking, in part because it defies the idea that children tend to be eager collaborators in their parents’ blogging business.