STRANGE DARLING (2023)
In theaters now from Miramax!
Directed/Written by JT Mollner.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/YC9J-0VNAIk
The best way to go into STRANGE DARLING is blind. Don’t watch the trailer, although it does a good job of telling you pretty much nothing about the plot or give away some of the amazing twists and turns this film takes. Don’t talk to those who have seen it. Don’t scour online to find the plot and spoilers. STRANGE DARLING is a film best experienced in the theater, so right now, at the start of this review, I’m just going to say, STRANGE DARLING is one of the best films you’re going to see this year and you need to see it, so rush right out and check it out in theaters if you can…
Don’t just sit there, go!
I’ll wait…
OK, you’re back, wasn’t that an amazing film?
Still, I won’t reveal anything about this film other than that it is broken up into six chapters and an epilogue and it involves a serial killer. Other than that, you’re not going to get any details about the story of the twists from me.
Still, I want to talk about a few things, starting with asking the question, is this a horror movie? Well, it calls itself a thriller, but knowing that many stray away from calling a film horror because of the stigma often attached to the genre. Thriller sounds somewhat more distinguished, I guess. Still, the film is about a serial killer. It’s gory as hell with all sorts of horrible people doing horrible things to one another and spurting the red stuff in all directions. It’s violent as all get out and feels like a movie out of this modern era where things are careful and safe. This film is anything but safe. And it involves a lot of sex and all kinds of perversity surrounding it. Serial killer, gore, violence, sex, and maybe, just maybe a whiff of Sasquatch. Sounds like a fucking horror movie to me. So while I am willing to debate as to whether or not this film qualifies as horror, I’m going to go ahead and give it that label.
Whatever genre it falls into, STRANGE DARLING is an engrossing watch. Actor Giovani Ribisi, you know him. Best known for THE OTHER SISTER, right? Who knew the guy had such an amazing eye as he plays the role of Director of Photography (and Producer) of STRANGE DARLING. This film is vivid and exciting from the first to last frame. The action scenes are intense and stylized. And the quiet moments are engrossing with overwhelming shades of red and blue. This is a film those who study film will watch over and over, just to understand how the camera acts as a way to intensify every action is captures, static or moving.
On top of that, the sound design is absolutely fantastic. It’s bombastic. This is a film that needs to be played loud, as the bursts of sound and off kilter noises are just as shocking as the action unfolding on screen. On top of that, this is one of those films with a soundtrack to take note of. I can’t wait to add it to my Spotify playlist.
But it is the stars of STRANGE DARLING that makes this one of the best movie experiences you’re going to have this year. Yes, there is tons of gore and action and perversity and all of that, but at it’s twisted, black heart, STRANGE DARLING is a romance. It’s a dark, dank romance, but still, it’s the chemistry between Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald is a potent mixture indeed. The scenes the two share are electrified as the script they are following is pointed and barbed. But it’s these two powerhouse actors that sell it so well. Gallner has been in too many genre films to mention. I remember meeting him on the set of the NIGHTMARE OF ELM STREET remake many moons ago. Oh, how far he’s come. Gallner as an intensity. He’s a pan about to boil over, full of frustration and tension, but also unafraid to show a tender, more softer side. He commands every scene he is in and I can see this film opening a lot of new doors for him.
And wow, Willa Fitzgerald. I remember noticing her as the svelt temptress in Flanagan’s THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, but nothing is going to prepare you for what she delivers in STRANGE DARLING. Just like Gallner, she is mesmerizing every second she is on screen. What she goes through and how she reflects it in her face would floor any normal actress. She gives such a powerful physical performance here and by the end, you’ve seen her go through the gamut of emotions in ways I’ve never seen before.
Director/Writer JT Mollner really hasn’t done much before. He’s directed a few small budget films, and if they are anything like STRANGE DARLING, I can’t wait to see them too. Mollner constructs a true puzzle of a movie that fits together so well, highlighting some things and omitting other details, and revealing them like wrapped presents on Christmas morning. Watching STRANGE DARLING took me back to the nineties when I feel was the last time movies were dangerous and raw. This one harkens back to those indie filled nineties and the grindhousey 70’s, where you couldn’t predict films and they defied convention, genre restraints, and any rules set against it. I can’t wait to see STRANGE DARLING again and I hope you heed my advice to see it for yourself. You can thank me later, but I’ll just end this slobbering, slathering review with “You’re welcome.” And leave it at that.

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Music Written by Tim Heidecker
Music & Arrangement by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy https://youtu.be/PDySbxQgZMg
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