Writer and director JT Mollner’s new film Strange Darling embodies the “less you know the better” method of viewing. If you can go in knowing nothing about this film, then that is the optimal way to view it. As a film critic, it’s rare to know so little about a film – but I took the advice of a friend and went in not even knowing who was in it. I’ll say that the experience was extremely rewarding for this particular film. With the interest of preserving that opportunity for any readers, this review will give a very brief synopsis, and then focus on the elements of the film rather than plot and story details.
Mollner’s film stars Willa Fitzgerald as “The Lady” and Kyle Gallner as “The Demon”. The opening text informs the audience about a serial killer, and then how the movie will attempt to show the events of a twisted one-night stand. The initial images are in black and white, and help to establish a sense of the tone the film is going for…but then we are introduced to the idea that this story will be told in six chapters.
Mollner’s decision to break the story into six chapters and then put the audience through the movie out of order is the first incredible choice. Rather than starting in chapter one, the movie begins in chapter three. The intentionality of the choice becomes very clear, as more context is revealed and the story truly begins to materialize. There are plenty of examples where things like this are done for nothing more than adding style for style’s sake – but this is not one of those situations. Mollner knows how impactful breaking the story into pieces and assembling it back together in the way that he does is and it shows.
If you’ve seen Dinner in America, Band of Robbers, or Smile, you are probably already a fan of Gallner. Of course, if you haven’t seen them, then you should – but this film will only convince you to do so. Gallner brings a multitude of layers to a role and that is essential to this particular story. He is equally as charming as he can be alarming and off-putting. There are moments where he seems like the greatest guy a person could meet, only to, just moments later, make you re-evaluate your ability to judge a person’s character.
I am less familiar with Fitzgerald’s filmography, but there is certainly now a reason to explore her other works and even more of a reason to anticipate her future ones. She bursts onto our screen in a major way in this movie, and audiences will be instantly curious about who this girl is. The exploration of the answer to that question drives the movie and is ultimately rewarding by the end.
The film also makes it clear that it is shot at 30mm, but the more interesting thing is that the person in the director of photography role is Giovani Ribisi. It’s not uncommon for an actor to step behind the camera and try their hand at directing, but I don’t know of too many examples where the actors take on the role of DP. This movie is an incredible first outing for Ribisi to showcase his talents with the camera. The movie looks amazing and has a variety of styles in the different sets to match.
All that said, Strange Darling is a film that could make some audiences uncomfortable. There is violence and situations that are designed to make us squirm. Fans of crime thrillers and serial killer horror will definitely want to check this one out – and the sooner the better, as spoilers are likely to become more prominent as more people see the film. I’m sure that the experience of watching this would still be positive even if you know the details, but it is designed to be a discover-while-you-watch type of story.
Strange Darling will be in theaters on August 23.
Rating: 5/5
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