You Have Never Seen a Movie like Strange Darling, I promise. Maybe the closest thing to even approach Strange Darling would be Sanctuary? Nah, not even close. Maybe something more like Blue Ruin or Green Room? All I have to say is that this movie is crazy, over the top insanity, and I loved every minute of it.
Spoiler Warning: Do yourself a favor. Don’t read another word of this unless you’ve already seen Strange Darling. This movie is one massive head trip, and you won’t want to ruin it for yourself by reading spoilers here. Come back once you’ve experienced this wild ride firsthand!
Alright, if you’re still with me, buckle up because Strange Darling is a total masterclass in keeping the audience guessing. Director and writer JT Mollner has delivered a film that takes the classic cat-and-mouse thriller and twists it until you can’t tell which end is up. If you like mind-bending narratives that keep you on the edge of your seat, this indie gem is for you.
Strange Darling tells its story out of order, which only adds to the tension and confusion in the best possible way. The story, in the theaters is six chapters – but we get the chapters told Chapter 3 first, then Chapter 5, Chapter 1, Chapter 4, Chapter 2, thennnnn Chapter 6. The reason? Because the film is hiding from us who the real black hat is in this story. But maybe we should discuss it chronologically so as to make it make more sense.
The Strange Darling Story Told Chronologically
Chapter 1 – Two people, a man (The Demon) and a woman (The Lady) connect, and it looks like they are going to hook up, have a party at a local motel. But it becomes clear that The Lady would prefer to play more of a domination game. And so, she creates the rules. No means yes. And the only word that means stop is Mr. Snuffleupagus, the safe word. And when The Demon begins choking her, she tells him to do it harder. But, nah, she isn’t really into it.
Chapter 2 – which happens at almost the end of the film. A little over an hour into the narrative. We cut to the duo diving into a pile of drugs. But, she secretly gives The Demon Ketamine, while she instead takes cocaine. She carves the letters EZ into his chest. Then later, as he’s overdosing, she goes through his stuff and learns that he’s a cop. After learning who she’d run across, she decides she should finish him off by stabbing him in the chest. But instead? He shoots her in the head. Running for her life, she kills the hotel manager and steals a car to get away.
Chapter 3 – which is how the movie opens… is with The Lady running for her life in a Pinto. After a crazy car chase, she runs into the woods. Now, at this point in the movie, we are still assuming that she is being hunted by a serial killer or serial rapist.
Chapter 4 – So she runs into the woods and meets up with a couple who help her. But when the Mountain couple attempt to call the cops she kills the husband. And this is at the 45-minute point, this is when we start to get the feeling that she is the serial killer, or they are both playing a really elaborate game together. She then hides in the freezer to get away from The Demon.
Chapter 5 – He goes through the house looking for her. A game of hide and seek as he shoots all the places that she could be hiding.
Chapter 6 – After he handcuffed her to the freezer she was in, he calls his fellow cops in order to help him clean up this mess that he is in. But he didn’t expect to have her mace him and then bite open his jugular as he was trying to get her out of the freezer. When the cops arrive, she makes it look like he tried to rape her. But she pulls a gun on the two cops and has them drive her away. And in an epilogue, The Lady suddenly turns and shoots the male cop. Then, when a friendly woman helps her, and The Lady attempts to pull a gun on her, the kind Samaritan woman shoots The Lady dead.
What Did I Just Watch?!?!?
Fitzgerald and Gallner are phenomenal in their roles, delivering performances that are both intense and layered. Fitzgerald, known for her work in The Fall of the House of Usher and The Goldfinch, brings a raw vulnerability to The Lady, but with a dangerous edge. Gallner, who you might recognize from Scream and The Outsiders, plays The Demon with a cold, calculating menace that keeps you guessing all along, as you try and figure out if it’s just a game? Is it just The Demon that is to blame for this chaos? Or could it actually be The Lady that is behind all this mayhem??
The screenplay is just as impressive as the performances, with Mollner carefully unraveling the plot in a way that keeps you hooked. Each chapter reveals a new piece of the puzzle, but just when you think you’ve figured it out, the movie throws you another curve-ball. By the time we get to Chapter 6, the lines between hunter and prey not are only blurred but they flip, and flip again, and flip again by the end of this crazy screenplay.
The film’s structure—told in six chapters, each shown out of chronological order—adds to the feeling of disorientation. It’s a clever storytelling device that forces the audience to pay attention, to piece together the narrative in their heads as they watch. And trust me, when all the pieces finally fall into place, it’s both satisfying and deeply unsettling.
Ambiguity At Its Best
In conclusion, Strange Darling is a brilliantly crafted thriller that keeps you on your toes from start to finish. The performances by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner are exceptional, and JT Mollner’s direction and screenplay are nothing short of masterful. If you’re a fan of indie films that make you think, this is one movie you won’t want to miss.
Edited by: CY