For better or worse, we live in a world of greys that can pull us in a million different directions when it concerns the differences between right and wrong. When you only see half the picture, heroes can become villains and vice versa, but basing a snap decision on only half the story can come with terrifying coincidences if you don’t take a step back and examine things with calmer eyes.
Thankfully, we have socially minded horror/thriller to put added pressure on us and with J.T. Miller brutally incendiary Strange Darling, we have a horrifyingly beautiful and brutally complex film that takes a no holds barred look at the nature of villain and victims and our ability to jump to conclusions simply based on social conventions.
Of course, if this feels too heavy, the movie also proves to be something of an amazing cat and mouse thriller that takes the story warping conventions of Kill Bill, Barbarian or Momento into disturbing new directions. Ready to be flipped like a proverbial tiddly-wink? OK, but remember: if things get too rough, the safe word is Mr. Snuffleupagus.
A conventional synopsis simply isn’t on the cards here as Strange Darling is a story told in six chapters that play out completely in the wrong order starting with Chapter 3. The reason for this is that once the other chapters are progressively revealed, we learn more and more about both of the main characters that feature in this twisted tale, but before we begin, we get a title card telling us that we’re in the dying days of a serial killer’s year long rampage that eventually ends in Colorado.
So it’s off to Colorado we go and as we jump straight into the story at the mid-way point, we meet The Lady, a battered and bloodied woman who is in a speeding car as she races away from her persuer. In the following vehicle, we find a man referred to in the opening credits as the Demon and as he races after his prey, he seems to be snorting a disconcerting amount of cocaine as her tears along the highway. After screeching to a halt on a straight bit of road, the Demon leaves his truck, levels off his rifle and manages to cause the Lady to crash with a well placed bullet through the rear windshield.
As the chapters progress, the chase takes them to a house located deep in the woods where hunter and hunted will meet one last time, but when we get a chance to bounce all the way back to Chapter 1, we discover that the sexually forward Lady and the Demon first met to have a one night stand in a motel the night before. Conversation flows easily, cigarettes are smoked and beers are consumed and a frank discussion about consent and more extreme sexual proclivities are brought into play. But when things spiral out of control, our perception of events soon become clear as more and more unforseen facts turn a simple story into something infinitely more complex.
So once again I find myself trapped in a conundrum that has me dying to talk about a movie, but the more gabbing I do, the less effective the film will inevitably become. So I say this: if you have even the slightest urge to watch this movie, then please stop reading this article, pronto and get hold of a copy to watch ASAP. If you don’t do this, that I may very well let all sorts of cats out of all sorts of bags and the main reason I took so long to catch up with this film is that I accidently discovered some of its secrets myself which prevented me from diving in. So go; while you still can.
Right, now that my conscience has been eased by a timely warning, Strange Darling is something of a remarkable movie that will no doubt thrill some and enrage others – but then I have to say, if your modern day horror flick isn’t doing either – or both – are you even a modern day horror flick? Taking a rather big cue from the aforementioned Barbarian, Strange Darling does a few things that seem remarkably similar at first glance; both relentlessly fuck around with the pace of the story, breaking it up into mismatched sections to keep its secrets to much later in the running time and to keep us utterly unbalanced as to how this thing will ultimately end. It also delves into a lot of social conundrums considering the dangers that exist between the divide between men and women when it comes to trust and safety and has no qualms about going to some highly triggering places. Simply put, the movie is one of those stories that challenges our natural tendency to believe certain things based on instant first impressions simply because that’s what, as a society, we feel compelled to do. We see a man with a mustache and a pick up truck chasing an hysterical lady covered in blood and we instinctively know what is going on. However, Mollner is here to bring up some unsettling points that warn about the pitfalls inherent about such quick leaps of judgement and whilecsome will no doubt accuse the movie of suggesting that we shouldn’t believe victims, anyone who comes to that conclusion is missing the point.
Aside from the controversy that such a film is likely to gather, Strange Darling manages to not only deliver a whip smart script which would have kept me guessing if another review hadn’t let too many secrets slip, but some sublime direction too on the part of Molliner. However, the real finds here come from the performances and some truly gorgeous cinematography courtesy of Giovanni Ribisi (yes, that Gionvanni Ribisi) that may initially make you roll your eyes at the thoroughly unnecessary title card that smugly informs you that the film was shot on 35mm, but soon wins you over by being one of the most handsome looking indie movies I’ve seen in quite some time. But while you’ll swoon as the beautiful exteriors and the neon drenched night shots, what really holds your attention are the two main performances which prove to be just as provocative as the subject matter. Yes, Kyle Gallner has become something of a genre mainstay with appearances in both Smile movies, a brief role in Scream and Jennifer’s Body just to name a few, but I’ve never seen him in anything like this before. But it’s Willa Fitzgerald who truly soars here in a career making, jaw dropping turn as the sexually forward, highly contradictory and insanely complex Lady, who starts the film in full horror final girl mode and soon morphs into something else entirely that will keep you guessing all the way to the bloodsoaked end.
Crammed with countless indie quirks (that breakfast!) and multiple, uncomfortable digs at controversial social norms (unable to decide what to do, one onlooker simply insists she wants nothing to do with the potentially deadly affair unfolding in front of her), some will doubtlessly discard Strange Darling as offensive despite containing some of the best performances of the year (and it looks sooooo good), but whether you find it incredibly enthralling or simply appalling, I can’t wait to see what all involved do next.
Simply darling.
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