This nonlinear thriller extracts wonderful tension and surprises from a simple premise
There’s something about stories told out of order that really tickles my brain. It’s a mixture of having seen both Pulp Fiction and the various films of Christopher Nolan at just the right time in my life, I think. It turns the film into an optional puzzle—you can sit back and let the movie tell you what it’s all about, or you can try and beat it to the punch.
Strange Darling tells you upfront that it is a film told in six chapters. I’ll admit I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes at what I thought was a bit of pretentious self-aggrandising, until the words ‘Chapter 3’ flashed up on screen moments into film.
I was hooked. As someone with a deep love and appreciation for story structure, I find the process of remixing a story’s narrative so that the turning points solely hinge on the audience’s understanding and interpretation of events—as opposed to the characters’—to be an incredibly impressive feat. But would Strange Darling come together in a satisfying way?
Stranger Than Fiction
Presenting itself as a dramatisation of the true story of a serial killer’s murder spree, Strange Darling follows the evolution of a relationship between a couple credited as The Lady (Willa Fitzgerald) and The Demon (Kyle Gallner), after a romantic encounter between them ends with The Lady fleeing for her life.
Fitzgerald and Gallner’s performances really elevate this movie. The pair have genuine chemistry that even our knowledge of later events can’t fully undermine. Fitzgerald takes the lead in the romantic encounter with an effortless confidence, and Gallner’s somewhat stunned, awkward reactions give way to nightmarish aggression with stomach-dropping immediacy. Both of these characters are put in intense, emotional situations that the actors convey without feeling over the top.
Indeed, this is a very uncomfortable film to watch. Aside from some taboo sexual content, the disjointed narrative is also constantly pulling the rug out from under you. The film’s ability to keep the viewer off-balance is impressive. It's constantly finding ways to subvert your expectations and cast things you’ve already seen in a new light.
Life Could Be A (Lynchian) Dream
While I think that this is a fantastic way to play with an audience’s expectations and a fun way to tell a story, there are sure to be some people who will be frustrated by a perceived smugness in the many ways that the film strives to stand out from the crowd.
For example, a lot of praise has been rightfully given to Strange Darling for being entirely shot on 35mm film, as it proudly declares right at the beginning of the film. It would have been much cheaper to shoot this digitally, but that would have sacrificed the singular look and feel of this movie.
Actor and cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi (whom I will always think of as Scarlett Johansson’s inconsiderate husband from Lost in Translation) helps make this story feel like a dream—like something out of time. An opening text crawl relays that the “real events” the story is based on took place sometime in 2020, but nothing about it feels specific to that year.
The hazy, textured visuals, chromatic lighting, bouts of sudden violence, odd supporting characters, and extreme performances make this feel like something David Lynch might have dreamt up, albeit tied to a comprehensible plot.
Epilogue
The unconventional plotting and structure really worked for me, too. If this story had been told linearly, it would’ve felt far too simple to be worthy of this level of craft. As it stands, everything is cut in a way to extract the most amount of tension it can. The movie commands and manipulates your attention in delightful ways.
Strange Darling is perhaps too different to reach a wide audience, which is unfortunate. This is a wildly entertaining rollercoaster of a movie that’s only an hour and half long. It’s not an easy watch—and you may find that outside of a clever plot, great performances, and a melancholic, dream-like atmosphere that the story doesn’t have much to say other than ‘Surprise!’—but I still think this movie is worth your time.
***
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