Every year, an indie darling emerges in the film scene to near universal acclaim and hype among cinephiles. For 2024, an indie horror thriller seems to have taken the title. Strange Darling is set in the Pacific Northwest in rural Oregon, tracking the fictional final days of a serial killer’s years long murder spree. Given the pseudonym of The Demon (Kyle Gallner), he plays a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with The Lady (Willa Fitzgerald) as he pursues her after escaping his grasp.
Strange Darling is a horror thriller that lives up its description in full. Its plot unfolds in a non-linear structure, with the film starting with a single clip from the first of its six chapters and its first full scene starting at the end of the chronological story timeline with a ten minute dialogueless chase scene that effortlessly creates extreme tension as we see a cat and mouse game unfold. Its structure helps to subvert expecations as the audience is led in one direction, reinforcing society’s preconceived notions and prejudices regarding people, before things deliciously turn on their head by the film’s second act. As a result, we slowly learn more about the characters, both the main players in The Demon and The Lady and in the tertiary characters, and begin to draw sympathies for some and suspicion of others, before our assumptions are thrown back into our faces and we’re forced to rethink things. It’s smartly executed, clever writing from writer/director JT Mollner that draws the audience in slowly through the typical intrigue and curiosity that comes from watching films, but gradually introduces mystery through the plot and flashbacks and flash-forwards that force you to question what you watched previously.
That subversion of expectations extends past the film’s structure and into its commentary on our culture and society writ large. What Strange Darling asks its audience to confront is not just what they have seen onscreen, but by extension, what people assume about others in our every day lives. Our culture as well as our experiences push us to make snap judgements about people, their intentions, and their proclivities, who receives the benefit of the doubt. They say that most stereotypes are rooted in at least partial truth, but as we all know, sometimes our assumptions result in us making rear ends of ourselves and others. This theme is best encapsulated during a pivotal third act scene involving two police officers, The Demon, and The Lady where phrases are bandied about such as “It’s obvious what happened here and who’s to blame!” despite the audience having learned otherwise.
Matching Strange Darling’s engrossing story is its rich cinematography, shot by famed actor Giovanni Ribisi in his first turn behind the camera. An impressive debut it is as his staging and camera work make the film just as impactful to view simply for its visuals as it is to watch the story unfold. Whether it’s the split diopter shot as seen in the cover photo for this review, numerous tracking shots for characters as they make their way through rooms unveiling key plots points, or the way Ribisi utilizes lighting the faces of The Demon and The Lady during intimate conversation in front of a seedy motel’s blue-hued signage, all of the photography choices he makes combine to create a striking viewing experience.
The cat and mouse game that encompasses the interaction between The Demon and Lady and fuels the script is buoyed by the performances of Fitzgerald and Gallner. Fitzgerald provides a mesmerizing performance as The Lady, nailing her every complexity and personality trait in a way that keeps the audience guessing. She commands the screen every time she appears and is wholly transformative, bringing the character to life and evoking every emotion that the script demands for each particular scene and twist and turn. Gallner is a worthy foil, also hitting the characterization called for at each moment, his performance following the non-linear script and adjusting to specific cadence required at each turn.
Strange Darling is a rich thriller whose intrigue is built through both its script and the non-linear structure put in place by director JT Mollner. The performances from Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner only serve to strengthen Strange Darling’s plot and structure, bringing the characters to life, accentuating their complexities and the theme of the film, with Fitzgerald clearly solidifying her rising star. This film is entertaining and thought-provoking in addition to being well crafted; a must-see for the year.
Image: Miramax
