Strange Darling slapped me in the face, seduced me, and slapped me again – and I loved it! I pulled up to an AMC on a Saturday afternoon without seeing a trailer. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I knew Kyle Gallner would be there, and that was enough! The movie opens with a calm scene, but within seconds it flashes to violence, giving audiences a jumpstart. From that moment, the movie had me hooked! The story is told in non-linear chapters, which reminds me of films like Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. The scrolling text at the beginning has the DNA of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). It is shot on film, and it looks AMAZING. There was so much to love within the first 5 minutes.
Not Your Typical Cat-and-Mouse Game
Strange Darling amps up the tension and gives only short reprieves before raising the audience’s blood pressure again. After the quick flash of violence, an injured woman is seen running toward the audience. Without much context, I made assumptions about where the plot was going: I was wrong. Strange Darling gives viewers multiple opportunities to create a narrative before the movie takes a turn and throws assumptions out of the window. Each chapter sets up a unique mini-thrill ride while peeling back layers of the story, causing audiences to shift their perspective with every bit of new information. My mind went from pensive confusion to a state of uncomfortable knowing towards the end, with the dramatic irony staring me down.
Engaging storytelling and stellar performances carried Strange Darling to the top of my list of favorite films of the year. This movie had me in a chokehold (literally) due to Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner’s execution of their roles. Characters will switch from being in peril to being the danger at the drop of a dime. Viewers spend the first two acts watching the cat-and-mouse game, not knowing who is the cat, and who is the mouse. In the third act, we realize there are a lot of mice, and the cat is unhinged.
A Sexy Rollercoaster
If you are a genre fan looking for something beautiful to watch, Strange Darling has a VIEW! I do not say this often, but this movie is sexy. I don’t seek out sex and violence as a pairing, although the two are omnipresent in the genre. However, this movie has changed my mind. The way the sensuality blended into the increasingly disturbing violence was masterful. It also didn’t hurt that shirtless Kyle Gallner was front and center. That is reason enough. Run, don’t walk, to theaters to check out Strange Darling on the big screen to be fully immersed in this sexy rollercoaster of violence, seduction, and deception. It’s worth the money.
