James Berardinelli review - **1/2 out of ****

https://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/strange-darling

This review contains spoilers and is designed for those who have already seen the film or don’t much care about such things.

Strange Darling, the sophomore effort of writer/director JT Mollner, uses a non-chronological approach to tell the story of the final killings of a purported serial killer in rural Oregon. (Shades of the “true story” fictional introduction employed by the Coen Brothers in Fargo.) The narrative is broken into six chapters but begins with Chapter 3, throwing the viewer into the story without background. It then proceeds to begin filling in the details, eventually concluding with Chapter 6 in the sixth position.

Reassembled in chronological order, Strange Darling offers a rather unremarkable tale of power dynamics in a sexual relationship, murder, and insanity. Likely influenced by Quentin Tarantino, Mollner uses not only lengthy passages of wordy dialogue but a jigsaw-puzzle structure the riffs off Pulp Fiction. Presenting Chapter 3 ahead of Chapters 1 & 2 creates uncertainty regarding the interaction between the lead female character, credited as “The Lady” (Willa Fitzgerald), and the lead male, “The Demon” (Kyle Gallner). These names/titles are intentionally misleading as one of Mollner’s goals is to subvert genre expectations. Although there’s artificiality in this form of presentation, it’s effective for about two-thirds of the movie. Unfortunately, once the “mysteries” have been resolved, Strange Darling loses a lot of its energy and the final act devolves into anticlimax.

The movie has two highlights. The first relates to the lengthy interplay between The Lady and The Demon as they engage in verbal sparring/flirtation. Although the eventual destination seems to be the bed in a motel room, The Lady has a number of boxes she wants checked off before she removes her clothing and The Demon is willing to go along with her. Of course, by the time we are shown these scenes, we already know things aren’t going to end well – our first encounter with the characters is in a car chase that shows why The Demon has been given this name.

The second high point relates to a couple of secondary characters – aging hippie survivalists Genevieve (Barbara Hershey), and Frederick (Ed Begley Jr.) – who are introduced in Chapter 4. Their first scene, which shows Frederick preparing a breakfast of champions, is remarkable and their subsequent interaction made me wish Strange Darling had focused more on them. Although Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner give strong, committed performances, the unforced confidence of Hershey and Begley Jr., makes this interlude one of Strange Darling’s small pleasures.

Endings have tripped up many a twisty thriller and Strange Darling is no exception. There’s a point when the movie ceases to be about the cat-and-mouse game between the two leads and turns into something generic. That’s when I started to lose interest. The ending, which offers an overlong, unbroken shot designed to amplify viewer discomfort, seems gratuitous.

The movie makes a big deal of the fact that it was filmed in 35 mm. (There’s a caption at the beginning stating this, although I’m not sure more than a handful of those attending will care one way or another.) Less emphasis is placed on the person doing the camera work, although this could become a future trivia question as it’s the first foray of actor Giovanni Ribisi into cinematography. His contributions, although workmanlike, are not standouts. His style is straightforward and not ostentatious – desirable characteristics for a movie in which the assembly of the narrative is the most important consideration.

Ultimately, Strange Darling left me with a little “Emperor’s New Clothing” feeling, with all the excitement coming not from the actual story but from the manner in which it is presented. The suddenness with which the air escapes from the balloon late in the proceedings caused me to leave the theater is a somewhat dissatisfied mood – although the ending provided a resolution, too much of the final act felt obligatory. That tipped the balance away from Strange Darling being the complete package and toward a production with some nice elements that doesn’t quite put them all together.