By Victor Ostling
Reacher’s Willa Fitzgerald realizes she may have made a mistake in her choice of partner for the evening.
J.T. Mollner’s 2023 mainstream debut, Strange Darling, is a phenomenal rendition of the horror genre. It did quite well in the Film Festival Circuit and was just given a limited theatrical release on August 23rd. While it may not be able to beat other films of its kind at the box office, like Alien: Romulus (August 19th) or even Tilman Singer’s German/American production, Cuckoo (August 9th), neither of them have gotten the respect and praise that Strange Darling has. This praise is not, however, given because Mollner’s film is a ‘masterpiece’ as some have called it—it isn’t a masterpiece. The overwhelming praise is instead derived from the fact that every other film in contemporary Hollywood is so fecal that their development might as well be considered a venial sin. So when critics actually see something in theaters that isn’t so magnificently foul, they give it praise in the same way a lifelong prisoner would treat a mediocre, home-cooked meal. Mediocre-home-cooked-meal films include Everything Everywhere All At Once (no, it isn’t that good), Top Gun: Maverick, and, even though it isn’t a film, Amazon’s The Boys. Strange Darling is different in that it actually might be as good as many say it is.
The film depicts the “true story” of a serial killer’s cat-and-mouse chase of our protagonist, and any explanation of the plot is best left as that. “The Demon” and “The Lady” are played by Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald, respectively, and both give magnificent performances at times. As most others will say, it’s best for audiences to go into the film rather blind. This approach won’t give you a spiritual experience as some might say, but much of one’s enjoyment will probably be derived from the twists in Mollner’s script.
Shot in 35mm print by photographer/actor Giovanni Ribisi, the film stands out from others immediately. Mollner has said that the opening shot of The Lady running, bloody and beaten, towards the camera was a universal image of the ‘final girl’ in slasher films. Many analyses of the film call it a reinvention of the ‘final girl’ trope, but that’s really just scratching the surface of what Strange Darling is trying to say.
In an industry where, in order for any script to be greenlit, it must in some way be a deconstruction, this film is refreshing in that it is legitimately subversive: just not in the way many would think. Through its use of harsh red and blue colors, music cues and non-linear story telling, the film doesn’t tell the audience what it should think morally, but what it presumably already does. It then proceeds to flip that notion on its head. What the audience gets is a story that is ultimately about dehumanization. This critique of the audience’s inclinations was most likely meant to be a universal lesson rather than the political, surface level themes of many so-called ‘deep’ films. And yet, if one pays attention to Strange Darling’s theme, they may be able to detect a slight tinge of conservatism regardless of Mollner’s intentions. Whatever the case may be, this film has something to say that you haven’t heard a million times. On top of this, it’s impressive on a mere technical and storytelling level. As the audience likely tries to figure out just what the hell is actually going on, every scene provides some degree of answers and a greater degree of tension. In short, there is no shot in the film that will give you a reason to look away; you will likely always be glued to the screen.
If you have any spare time and can afford it, take the RRT to AMC Vestal Town Square 9 and watch Strange Darling while you still can. There is nothing else playing at the moment that will give you as good—or at least as unique—of a 90 minute experience as this will.