Introduction:
”Strange Darling” is a 2013 psychological thriller by JT Mollner with the great cast, Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner on board. The film discloses a thrilling story of what many would call a one-night stand that suddenly becomes a killer on the loose movie. In addition to setting out the typical script with the main narration technique, the elements of suspense and black comedy, “Strange Darling” shows a graphic novelist’s attempt to challenge and defamiliarize the expectations set by Gothic and Urban Fantasy and entertain viewers.
Release Date:
“Strange Darling” hit the theatres on 23 August 2024. Besides that, there is the English version of the movie and the film is going to be subtitled in Spanish, French, German and some other languages, Spanish, French, and German, to cater to a global audience
Crew:
| Role | Name(s) |
|---|---|
| Director | JT Mollner |
| Producer | Bill Block, Steve Schneider, Roy Lee, Giovanni Ribisi |
| Music Director | Craig DeLeon |
| Story Writer | JT Mollner |
| Screenplay | JT Mollner |
| Editor | Christopher Robin Bell |
Cast:
| Character Name | Actor/Actress |
|---|---|
| The Lady | Willa Fitzgerald |
| The Demon | Kyle Gallner |
| Art Pallone | Giovanni Ribisi |
| Frederick | Ed Begley Jr. |
| Tanya | Bianca A. Santos |
| Genevieve | Barbara Hershey |
| Gale | Madisen Beaty |
| Narrator | Jason Patric |
| Pete | Steven Michael Quezada |
| Beth | Eugenia Kuzmina |
| The Driver | Sheri Foster |
| Libby | Denise Grayson |
| Mitchell Mahoney | Robert Craighead |
| Uncategorized | Duke Mollner |
Story:
Structured in the six episodes that are played in the non-linear script: the first one is the car chase when The Lady (Willa Fitzgerald) tries to escape the psychopathic murderer, The Demon (Kyle Gallner). This is evident because the incidents in the story show that just meeting at a motel had thrown them into a cycle of violence. As to the fact whether the characters of this work are pure evil or are sinks that society has turned into scoundrels, the author exposes different themes like obsession, the fight for survival, and nature of relations.
The film construction requires the viewers to put together information from the events that are taking place simultaneously and, thus, provides only one perspective; each time the timeline switches, there are new plots and smaller intrigues introduced that add to the general nonsensicality. The fact that the film is constructed as an existential being with consciousness interacting with multiple characters such as doomsday preppers, Ed Begley Jr. and Barbara Hershey are all layers to the movie.
Review:
This movie thriller ‘‘Strange Darling’’ was produced by Gregory Oke and directed by J.T Mollner this is a film which puts the dinner on the edge throughout the movie. This is a horror movie and the final scene means a one-night stand, Willa Fitzgerald is ‘The Lady’ and Kyle Gallner is ‘The Demon’. All in all, the six chapters are fragmented and present the most suspense to the movie viewers.
Fitzgerald once again gives the strongest performance presenting all layers of her character’s fear and inclination towards aggression. Gallner contrasts her excellently with a strong performance that brings more depth to the show’s adversarial relationship. The movie is made on 35mm and visually, Filmmakers build the climate of the thriller like in those films of the 70s and 80s.
However, some of the viewers and critics think the benefit of the film location is in the suspense and Einzel’s character, but rather are aesthetic rather than concept. In all, “Strange Darling” is an interesting product for those who decided to spend their time with psychothriller – cliches are Turning into interesting here.
Positives:
- Innovative Structure: I like the non-linearity of the story: this approach causes receiving the information actively and allows the viewer to understand what is going on.
- Strong Performances: I loved Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner’s performances, they portrayed their characters so well and realistic with the sexual tension that the two had.
- Cinematography: Giovanni Ribisi who has worked previously as an actor makes his directorial debut through this film and as a cinematographer, he has used 35mm film for weathering the atmospheric horror view of the film.
Negatives:
- Pacing Issues: Other cases may make the movie appear to be moving very fast, that is, there may be new actions taking place often, while in other parts of the movie, there may be a long interval between two actions taking place.
- Character Development: The main characters are, however, realized in full and continuously thought through, although there is a marked tendency for secondary characters to be sketched in less detail and not entirely to the author’s benefit about narrative depth.
- Potential Misogyny: That is why some people complained about the methodology of gender and violence while admitting that the movie may be going over the top with this notion.
Technical Aspects:
- Direction: JT Mollner adopted suspense and dark humour well and there is also the problem with style and substance at the same time once in a while.
- Sound Design: The sounds mostly participated in the suspense factors and it was observed that the sounds added to some extent modification to the movie though in some instances are sometimes dialogue such as the first few lines was not very clear and this was likely to confuse some aspects of the flick.
- Score: Another decision made, select the appropriate music because the overall mood of the film uses ethereal pop.
Performance:
However, Willa Fitzgerald appears flamboyant while staging the Lady of the Lake character and shows acts of resilience and determination of her character. Kyle Gallner looks good in The Demon outfit and manages to be charming and menacing at the same time. Ed Begley Jr. and Barbara Hershey put zest into the character portrayals, yet the characters seem underdeveloped, it could have been a lot better.
Moviepoptime Review:
Most entertaining thriller I have seen in quite some time. Willa Fitzgerald is one of the most talented actresses I have ever gotten the opportunity to watch in horror the way she portrays herself, her body, her…everything. All the more so, Kyle Gallner is the ideal match for her character since he is currently hunting her. Quite honestly, I believe this is the best movie of 2024 and yet, it won’t get the recognition it deserves and as for Willa, she deserves the Oscar. It perfectly has a soundtrack, pen work and even colour grading to support the telling of the story.
The less you know about this film the better, or so it seems. This is one of my favorite thrillers ever and all it needed was two main leads. Willa and Kyle are also probably the sexiest cast in Horizon Ifor some time now and Willa, especially, completely looks like she’s having the time of her life in this murdering spree.
Conclusion:
It can be considered that “Strange Darling” is an entertaining psychological thriller that subverts the tropes of this subgenre and is way better in terms of plot and cast. Although they are slow, awkward and have a few obvious images, the overall idea and looks of the film are quite tempting to become an attractive addition to the list of horror thrillers. If audiences come looking for a film that twists and turns and completely does not conform to expectations, then Strange Darling is exactly that film that will leave you guessing after the credits have rolled.
This is one of my all-time favorite thrillers and all it required were two main protagonists. They are also one of the most sexy pairs I have seen in horror movies in quite some time and they are sexED and gore.
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