Strange Darling (dir. JT Mollner)

By: Adam Freed

Strange Darling is a distinct and memorable serial killer thriller from the mind of relatively unknown filmmaker JT Mollner.  What makes conversation about Mollner’s true to life recreation of horrific events such a challenge is that the more audiences know going into the film, the less satisfying it will be.  Strange Darling looks and feels very much the product of an up and coming filmmaker influenced by the dazzling nonlinear storytelling of Quentin Tarantino and the tightrope tension of David Fincher. While Mollner’s film lacks the propulsive dialogue and purified panache of a Tarantino film, he crafts two magnetic characters from whom it is nearly impossible to avert one’s eyes.  Likewise, Strange Darling comes up short of the raw propulsive intensity of a Fincher classic, but bottles just enough to make the film’s 97 minute run feel considerably more concise.  

Yes, JT Molner’s choice to unfold the events of his breakthrough feature using a ping pong nonlinear fashion wreaks of derivative intent, but it also proves to be the tool that renders Strange Darling memorable.  Given the unpredictable nature of the film’s deranged subject matter, eliminating all assumptions and prior influences best serves those attempting to grab hold of Strange Darling with both hands.  Unlike the post-war Hitchcock classic Rope (1948), Strange Darling goes slightly astray as it deviates from the close quarters proximity shared between its magnetic leads Willa Fitzgerald (The Goldfinch) and Kyle Gallner (Smile).  Mollner’s insistence on expanding his daylight horror film into broader environments acts as a narrative curse while surprisingly playing the role of visual gift.  Shot in a richly textured 35mm by actor turned cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar, Boiler Room), the more expansive and revealing the film becomes, it grows less narratively engaging and yet somehow far more beautiful to behold.  

Make no mistake, Strange Darling is absolutely worth the price of admission, but genre fans are likely to recognize familiar fingerprints all over the film. A chasm of differentiated opinion is likely to surface amongst audiences as to just how revolutionary a film Mollner has created, which is far from being a menacing critique.  In a film that is primarily intended as a two-hander, Fitzgerald and Gallner sparkle as “The Lady” and “The Demon” respectively.  What puzzles though is that as the film broadens its scope, each newly added character feels more like a subtraction. Strange Darling is strong enough in its concept, presentation and performance that it gains little from exposition and naïve ancillary character involvement.  JT Mollner has likely established himself as a reliable and innovative genre contributor projecting forward, and one who appears just crafty enough to realize that when it comes to horror, less can indeed be more.

Target Score 6.5/10 - Strange Darling is good enough to win the hearts of fans who have been desperately awaiting the arrival of an original genre stunner.  JT Mollner’s film also teeters on the brink of overexposing its influences to the point that audiences may be left making unfair comparisons to superior works of art.