‘Strange Darling’ Fantastic Fest 2023 Review: A Brooding Serial Killer Thriller With a Twist
From the opening minutes, JT Mollner’s Strange Darling rockets into a full-blown chase movie that recalls the raw grit of 1970s crime movies and the pulp hyperreality of 1990s indie cinema. Seeing the Miramax logo appear on screen transports you back to a time when Tarantino and all of his many imitators changed the cinema landscape forever. Shot on 35mm, Strange Darling seems like a movie out of time that draws inspiration from serial killer movies from the past without dredging through the same stalker tropes we’ve all seen before. As a result, Mollner’s surprisingly intimate thriller is a lot more clever than it appears at first glance.
After an opening scroll explains that what we are about to see is a dramatic reenactment of a real-life killing spree, an anonymous woman referred to as “The Lady” (Willa Fitzgerald) pops into frame, running panicked in slow motion. Who or what she’s escaping from is unclear at first, but it’s readily apparent that the events of the previous night have left her battered, bruised, and in a constant state of shock. Then, a shotgun-wielding madman with a buffalo plaid coat comes barreling up behind her trying to finish the job he started. Known only as “The Demon,” (Kyle Gallner) he is the illustration of rage incarnate. After a near-fatal crash on a deserted road, the camera follows both characters into the wilderness.
If Strange Darling had just ended up being an extended cat-and-mouse survivalist tale, it still would have managed to entertain the audience at its world premiere at Fantastic Fest. In a welcome surprise, there’s a lot more going on here than just a serviceable nail-biter chronicling a day in the life of a rogue serial killer.
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Told in a mismatched series of six chapters, the structure flashes back and forth over the course of one night in the lives of both “The Lady” and “The Demon”, revealing deeper levels of intrigue. Questions start to bubble up about the power dynamics between men and women and the potential dangers (and thrills) of a one-night stand. There are real, serious reflections about consent, the line between domination and submission, and victim theory.
Unlocking the pretzel logic proves just as fun as watching the mischief and mayhem play out between the two leads as the trouble they start together spills over into the outside world. Without spoiling anything, the tables get turned multiple times before the credits roll, and the expectations set up in the opening chase sequence eventually fall by the wayside. The only problem is that once Strange Darling goes off the rails, it has a hard time getting back on track. As a result, the third act doesn’t quite stick the landing.
The lack of a satisfying resolution could be intentional, however. After witnessing the knock-down-drag-out fight between these two powerhouses, there’s a natural level of exhaustion that sinks in. The ending mirrors the feeling of being completely spent after engaging in a life-threatening overnight brawl. Just like the human body would eventually just give out, the finale of Strange Darling just runs out of steam as well. From that perspective, the ending works even if the payoff isn’t emotionally satisfying.
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With flashy cinematography by Giovanni Ribisi (yes, that Giovanni Ribisi) and puzzle piece editing, Mollner’s fever dream thrill ride overshoots at times, feeling overly cinematic and pseudo-intellectual. In trying to upend a straightforward narrative, the action gets undermined in moments when the film is trying to be a little too clever than it needs to be. Breaking up the story into chapters is slightly derivative of the literary storytelling that made Tarantino’s filmography so distinct.
Luckily, Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner came to play in a big way. After breakout performances in the criminally underseen Dinner in America and co-starring roles in smash horror hits like Smile, Gallner is quickly becoming one of this generation’s most reliable and captivating genre actors. On the other side of the ring, Fitzgerald is just as dedicated to delivering an explosive piece of acting that moves into genuinely dangerous territory at times. She is simply possessed with some mysterious, unbridled spirit in this film that channels Alex Essoe in Starry Eyes and a cornered Juliette Lewis in Natural Born Killers.
In Mollner’s own words in an interview with Variety, “The performances are the pillars of this movie.” Although there are plenty of style points to give out, the battle between “The Lady” and “The Demon” is the real reason to go on the ride and seek out Strange Darling when the film nabs distribution.
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Strange Darling
Summary
Epic performances from Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald turn a compelling cat-and-mouse chase movie into an enthralling contest between two unstoppable foes.
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