Strange Darling (2023)
A spoiler free review.
For some time I have struggled to describe or review this film without spoiling one of the best cinema experiences of the year. A quick warning before you read this: Go see this movie knowing as little as possible about it! Now, if you’re still here, let's get into one of the best horror/thriller releases of the year.
I remember being in the theater about ten minutes into this movie, thinking, “I’m going to hate this.” But as it went on, I quickly discovered one of my favorite movies released in the last few years. Director JT Mollner’s second feature film immediately starts on a strange and slightly pretentious note with a screen announcing, “This film was shot on 35mm film.” While I think that’s great, the audience who wouldn’t recognize this obviously wouldn’t care, and the audience who cares doesn’t need to be told. My expectations sank as soon as I saw this, but luckily, by the end, all was forgiven.
A Texas Chainsaw Massacre-style screen crawl sets you up for the ride you’re about to take. Then you’re thrown into a story told in the classic '90s non-linear style of Pulp Fiction. I would love to fully dive into Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner’s excellent performances, but in the interest of keeping this spoiler-free, I will be very brief. The chemistry between the two leads is superb. In one erotic scene, I momentarily thought the AMC theater I was in had greenlit a snuff film to be shown. The back-and-forth between Willa and Kyle in this scene was spectacular and felt very authentic. The cinematography was great, and the movie was beautifully shot by Giovanni Ribisi, better known as the weird kidnapper guy from Ted. The pacing was excellent, and with a 1:37 runtime, it’s tight and respects your time.
I love when a lower-budget production manages to knock one out of the park. Strange Darling had me intrigued throughout and kept me guessing until the very end. I walked out of the theater wondering how soon I could buy a physical copy of the movie. Having had time to reflect on this film, I realize it won’t be everybody’s movie of the year, and many will be like me, 10 minutes in, throughout the film. As lovers of film, we should all be excited when a low-budget movie comes along and takes a huge swing. I hope to do a much deeper dive after more people have had the opportunity to see this.
Score: 8.5/10