Strange Darling movie review: Stylish, subversive serial killer thriller

Strange Darling movie review

Film: Strange Darling
Cast: Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Ed Begley Jr., Barbara Hershey
Director: JT Mollner
Rating: 3/5
Runtime: 96 min

A serial-killer movie about a lesser known criminal's tail-ending murder spree gets documented in this colorful and strangely gorgeous, lurid, over-the-top work. The form is compelling enough to take you in with its hyphenated jumbled-up presentation of what went on at that time. Writer-director JT Mollner crafts a clever genre subverting thriller grandly assisted by striking performances from Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner.

A sophomore effort of writer/director JT Mollner, ‘Strange Darling' uses a non-chronological non-conformative gendered dynamic to tell the story of the final killings of a purported (real life) serial killer in rural Oregon. The narrative is divided into six chapters but the story begins with Chapter 3, and later, proceeds to go back and forth before eventually concluding with Chapter 6.

The title card proclaims "shot entirely on 35mm film" and the DOP here is non other than prolific character actor Giovanni Ribisi. Given his non-traditional ascendance to DOP, he sure has done some amazing work. Both production designer Priscilla Elliott and Ribisi use blue and red colors and lighting alternatively to designate terror and depravity.

If reassembled in correct chronological order the story would have played out as a straightforward serial killer thriller. Given the jigsaw puzzle treatment, the interest is kept going and for almost one-thirds of the runtime we are clueless as to the twist that is set to come. It's a tale of power dynamics with a sexual romp, murder, and insanity highlighting the dysfunctions inherent within. The format here is obviously influenced by ‘Pulp Fiction' and it is smart enough to subvert genre expectations and keep the audience guessing as to the real identities of "The Lady" (Willa Fitzgerald), and the "The Demon" (Kyle Gallner).

The narrative opens with a car chase. The Demon is in hot pursuit of the lady dressed in red, driving a red car. The jumbled up sequences eventually start unraveling with back story segments. We see the lady in a lengthy interplay with the Demon first in his car and later, in a motel room. The lady is willing but she has some things she wants done before she removes her clothes and that's when we start getting an inkling that things are going to go south.

There are some leading conversations here that attempt to subvert the real dynamics between the Lady and the Demon. One such is - "Do you have any idea the risks a woman like me takes whenever she decides to have a little fun?" As an audience we go along with that playful note, having been made to think about what the Lady is risking. But it's not much later that we see that dynamic changing and what we presume as stereotypical in terms of gender dynamics, predatory relationships and dangerous implications thereof, gets subverted completely. Ribisi's skilful colourful cinematography and Craig DeLeon's giddy score lend a fair deal of atmosphere to the tonal shifts and character nose-dives. The action, gore, wardrobe are appropriate to the cause here.

The narrative doesn't play out the way we expect it to. Issues of consent, gender superiority etc are all twisted around to make what we thought was apparent, seem farcical. Obligatory drug use and sadistic violence trump the sexual interplay here. You discover the savage psychopath - but there's a thin line delineating the definitions of aggressor and victim here. Fitzgerald stamps her presence with great elan. Her performance intermingling with that of Gallner's, keeps the narrative afloat and interesting. Barbara Hershey and Ed Begley Jr, the much older hippy couple who we see romancing each other over an overly indulgent breakfast before all hell breaks loose, are a treat to watch. "Strange Darling" may not have been celebrated yet but chances are that it will go on to become a cult classic. It's a film that just cannot be ignored.