54039: Strange Darling

I'm going to keep this short, and not because spoilers would ruin Strange Darling, though watching the plot unfold in its own time is a moviegoing joy on par with the original Psycho or Vertigo. Rather, I'll be tending toward brevity because if I don't, I'll just be writing about this movie all night. Strange Darling, written and directed by JT Mollner, is a beautiful throwback to the hyper-verbal and hyper-violent Gen X indie flicks of the mid to late 90s.

Strange Darling gives us quirky characters in moody lighting who expound at length on their personal philosophies, then engage in some freaky bedroom behavior and take some synthetic drugs. And it all transpires before a bunch of people get super killed, and we're left wondering if nihilism is a good worldview or the greatest worldview. Plus, there's a sprinkling of pop culture references (starting with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre-style intro text and voice-over) and way more cigarettes than I've seen onscreen in a while.

From the moment I sat down and saw a) the MIRAMAX logo and b) a disclaimer that the entire movie was shot on 35mm film, I knew there would be a certain amount of nostalgia involved. It probably also helped that the cinematography was by Giovanni Ribisi (yes, that Giovanni Ribisi; it would be wild if there were two, right?), an actor who is as well versed in the peccadillos of the period as anybody can be. 

Mollner and Ribisi show us beauty and horror in succession, with rich tones of red, blue, and black draped onto our two main stars, Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner, as they circle and nip at each other like a horny mongoose and horny cobra, probing each other (metaphorically, mostly) to try and truly get to know the other. Fighting and fucking are just two sides of the same blood-pumping coin for this couple, and it is mesmerizing watching their one-night stand (and its bloody aftermath) play out.

The plot is structured in six chapters, plus an epilogue, and told out of order (except for the epilogue), which is itself a very 90s narrative set up. We come in at the height of the conflict, during a coke-fueled car chase—with gunplay, no less—and slowly learn what's happening, why, and to whom. The editing, by Christopher Robin Bell, is tight and driven. The music, by artist Z Berg, provides a beautiful backdrop for the narrative, and their cover of "Love Hurts" is the haunting connective tissue that holds the sound together. It all comes together beautifully (by which I mean, "horrifyingly") and creates that rare kind of movie that stays in your head long after the credits have rolled. If it's still in theaters near you, check it out. Ideally, if it's not playing in your area, I'd suggest you rent it from your local video store. But, given that this is 2024, you may just have to wait to see Strange Darling when it comes to HBO Max on November 24.