Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner’s characters end up involved in a deadly cat-and-mouse chase after a one-night stand.
Strange Darling is a serial killer thriller with an unexpected twist.
The film, written and directed by JT Mollner, begins with opening crawl of text (like Star Wars) which claims it’s a dramatisation of a real killing spree across the U.S. between 2018 and 2020. Set in Hood River, Oregon, the story focuses on the serial killer’s final victims during that rampage.
Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner star as the Lady and the Demon, who end up involved in a deadly cat-and-mouse chase after a one-night stand.
Mollner presents his thriller in six non-linear chapters. While it can be frustrating to receive a story out of chronological order, it makes absolute sense here. The narrative wouldn’t have been effective or surprising without this structure.
Because of this device, you are launched straight into the action with no context. There is a car chase between the Lady and the Demon and you have no idea what’s going on. This hooks you in immediately and then keeps you intrigued because you’re waiting for answers, which come slowly but surely over the ensuing chapters.
Strange Darling takes many clever and unexpected turns, constantly challenging what you think you know about each character and your pre-conceived biases against them. The dialogue is well-written and the sound design and score work perfectly for the story.
The structure does a lot of the heavy lifting here, but the film is still carried by the strength of its two lead performances. Fitzgerald and Gallner brilliantly navigate the shift in power and control between their characters as well as their unexpected trajectories.
Gallner is more subtle with his character work, allowing Fitzgerald to shine and emerge from this as one to watch.
You might think you know what Strange Darling is going to be and where it’ll end up but you don’t – so strap in and get ready to be surprised.
In cinemas from Friday 20th September.
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