Strange Darling review
Go into Strange Darling as blind as possible. Don’t even read this review. Even with what the next line says.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Strange Darling
Directed by JT Mollner
Written by JT Mollner
Starring Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Barbara Hershey, Ed Begley Jr., Steven Michael Quezada, Jason Patric and Giovanni Ribisi
Strange Darling Review
New movie reviews are prefaced with a disclaimer stating that no spoilers will be contained within the review. That remains true for this review of Strange Darling. I feel it necessary, however, to add an extra mention right off the bat. Don’t read this review. Don’t read any reviews. At least…not until you’ve seen the movie. Go see the movie. Then, come back and read this review. If you need to see a score…it’s a 4 out of 5. This is the last warning before we get into a non-spoiler discussion that you absolutely should not read before watching Strange Darling.
You’re still here, aren’t you?
Alright…it’s all on you know. We can avoid talking about any plot twist that may or may not happen in Strange Darling…but we can’t ignore discussing the film’s unique structure. It presents a story in six chapters (plus an epilogue) …and it plays them out of order. Your mind may immediately turn towards Pulp Fiction. It’s utilized more like Memento. Memento’s story wasn’t out of order…it was just in reverse. Well…most of it. The movie doesn’t actually play backwards, it meets somewhere in the middle as a long telephone call scene is playing out front to back at the same time. Anyway…what Memento does so well is to put you in the shoes of its main character. He can’t remember what happened just before the scene you are watching…so you don’t get to see it beforehand. Strange Darling puts its scenes out of order for a similar reason.
Now…the reason I wanted you to see the movie before knowing that should be obvious. The gears in your head are already turning as to why it does that. Information is generally hidden from viewers for a reason. Such is the case in Strange Darling. It’s not the only reason, mind you. The movie finds a unique energy by putting some of its most intense scenes right up front. No slow build…no getting to know the who, what, where, when or why. Just some pure adrenaline. It drops you into a violent situation while leaving you in a bit of a brain fog.
The gaps will be filled in when the story jumps back to the pieces you missed. Or, more accurately, that it purposely withheld from you. Strange Darling obviously isn’t the first movie to mess with narrative order. It ranks very high on utilizing it to create excitement, however. It can’t be undersold how much energy the presentation infuses into the production.
To that point…this is also a high-end production. Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner are terrific as our two leads engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse. The picture is beautifully shot on 35mm film (a fact that leads off the movie). Soundtrack, supporting cast, gore effects…Strange Darling has a lot going for it. The unique flow created by the narrative shuffling puts a fun spin on all of it. By setting the story’s slower aspects in the middle the whole package feels as out of sorts as you’d imagine. Strange Darling drops you into chaos…slows down to explain itself…and then picks back up with a fresh take on its excitement.
Excitement is the appropriate word to describe the feeling of watching Strange Darling. It feels like something fresh and looks like something new. The movie finds new tricks to add momentum and intrigue to its story without having to overload it with clunky exposition or overwhelm it with too many ideas. It already has a great idea. No need to crowd it.
If you’re looking for a fun ride that doesn’t take the path usually traveled…you’ll find it in Strange Darling. We obviously haven’t touched on what the movie is about at all. That’s for good reason. You don’t want to know anything about this movie before you watch it. If you decided to read to this point…you already know too much. Don’t deprive yourself of any of the other excitement the movie has to offer you. Get in before you it gets out.
Scare Value
Strange Darling is a difficult movie to talk about. You really have to go in with no prior knowledge to fully enjoy the wild ride it has in store. Shuffling up the scenes in the story allow it play out in a more exciting way than normal. It may tip you off on some aspects of the movie that are better left as a surprise. That’s why I told you not to read this review…or any review…until you see the movie for yourself. Which you should definitely do.
4/5
Strange Darling Link
In theaters – Fandango
