Strange Darling

Make no assumptions about a man's character based on which washed-up '80s TV star adorns his puzzles.

Smartly structured, consistently entertaining, stylishly shot and skillfully acted... So why didn't I like it more?

What an interminable way to ape Saulnier's stuff without recognizing what's great about it. Unbelievably pretentious the whole way through despite how nicely it's shot. JT despises women, or (hopefully) just can't write them for shit.

"SHOT ENTIRELY ON AN ETCH-A-SKETCH ONE FRAME AT A TIME"

A enjoyable serial killer feature, presented in out-of-order-chapter form that lets the surprises in the plot make more impact. Great cast, cinematography and thrills. Maybe had one too many fragile singer-songwriter tracks in the score, but I have few complaints otherwise. Great final lingering shot.

Great performances here. Enjoyed the way the film was put together leaving us wondering what chapter would be shown next. This one will be remembered. 7.8

A fun thriller that takes some interesting structural risks which all generally pay off very satisfyingly (albeit with some rather sketchy gender politics)

THAT's a movie

Was annoyed by the chapter thingy initially but goddamn it was a good choice to do it like this

It got a little rough toward the climax, but I was content with the ending, and the rest of the movie was a lot of fun, even after knowing the twist halfway in. Mollmer made very effective use tellokg this out of sequence. Both of the leads killed it as characters with more complexity than I anticipated, it was surprisingly pretty to look at and it’s about as gruesome and diabolical as one would hope. Some interesting themes that were mostly (but not always) well executed. I really liked it.

Strange Darling’s story construction and perspective manipulation is a refreshing and one of the most effective ways to correctly pace a film. Thematically, it doesn’t do much beyond its surface level, but it does leave interesting trails & flares of demoniacal undertones. Fitzgerald/Gallner are absolutely the driving engines of this and this is the best both have ever been. Seemingly, Strange Darling feels artsy in the best ways, without feeling pretentious in a crowded sub-genre of cinema.

I made the mistake of watching this while eating breakfast and about had my pumpkin griddlecakes come back up when I got to that cooking scene. Some of those foods should never touch on a plate. My ringtone is literally a joke song about butter and even I think that was too much.

#24#, rw2, ratings, Willa.F

Cooljukewiththeelectriclady

The beginning is incredibly obnoxious, insistent upon its artsiness, and that does persist occasionally throughout. But then, at the same time, the non-linear structure works incredibly well to introduce little details and make you think the movie is going one way when BAM, an excellent twist that recontextualizes the entire experience. After that it's a bit on autopilot, but what I like most about this (besides the great performances) is that it's a thriller that never stops, never slows down.

Clearly the case of a "not for me" film. No problem witn non-linear structure, of course, but it feels like a cheap gimmick here. Also, idk, but there is just a general arrogant vibe that kills me about these so-called elevated genre projects. Why start saying 'shot entirely on 35 mm'? Lol. And don't get me wrong, Ribisi does a good job -- it's maybe this film's best thing, along with the leads. Or maybe I'm being a little too harsh and annoying about this post-X trilogy era.

It takes big swings, and most of them land over the fence.

They keep playing love hurts which is very annoying. The actors are okay but there are a lot of overacting scenes. I lost interest watching it and can't wait for it to end.

A cynical, lazy hipster artifact that is build on nothing but misdirection. Once this is out of the way, all we have are garish colors, artsy camera work, and a sequence of deadly encounters that we have seen far too often. As for the sexual kink (the only part worth of interest here), it's explored as just a plot device.

A movie as a neat magic trick. It presents the cards at the start and then keeps tossing them up through the non-linear storytelling. The toying with the viewer expectations is manipulative in all the right ways, it absolutely worked on me. Shot on awesome looking 35mm it has beautiful deep colors and the to me unknown Willa Fitzgerald gives a fantastic performance. I'm very sensitive to last shots and this lingering last shot was laugh-out-loud phenomenal. Fun fun fun movie

Great way of telling a story, beautifully shot with some excellent performances. Even somewhat cheesy soundtrack fits in place.

Fitzgerald might be trying, but it's not quite enough to pull this movie off, tho I gotta admit the last couple of minutes consisting of her making dumb faces at the camera bumped my rating up by ten points because of the unintentional hilarity. Certain character who deserved to die for being too stupid managing to get away pushed my rating down tho.

The performances and cinematography here are the highlights; it's a very artistic thriller. I do like the out-of-sequence storytelling using chapters, as it keeps you guessing how we got to a certain place. The action is crisp and it's all very tense. I'm less excited about the gender-politics, namely a couple moments in the final act, but I can't expound on that much without spoiling the movie. If you're interested in twisted sexual horror, it's worth a watch to form your own opinion.

The only fun here is the nonlinear way it tells the story. But this experimentation with laying out the story and the twists that are revealed in this way seems to be the only reason for this film being made, as it's lacking anything thematically and emotionally resonating. The chase scenes are very standard, and the seducing scenes are padded out worse than in a porno. When the best scene in your thriller is of an old man making breakfast, you may've fucked up.

It's quite enthralling at times, and it looks amazing. I really enjoyed it.

wearing shoes in bed and putting them on the pillow, DNF

anti-woman

As tedious and unintelligent as it is desperate. And it is extremely desperate.

Due to a very weak start of this film, I almost missed Fitzgerald's strongest performance I've seen. As for the out-of-order storytelling, but the first chapters really miss any urgency because of it, and the movie as a whole suffers from that, even though the choice ultimately makes sense.

Great execution of a cat-and-mouse serial killer chase subverting expectations and twisting the narrative around in places. Solid thriller.

Deducted from a 90 because they lied about it being a real case

If you're planning to go to the movies soon, you need to see Strange Darling, where a one-night stand turns into a cat-and-mouse game. A cleverly constructed serial killer story full of mind games. I had a great time with its never-slowing pace and never-ending excitement. Cinematography and soundtrack are the film's strongest aspects. Also the directing is pretty good. Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald are giving the best performances of their careers.

audiovisual 90 acting 89 overall feeling 89 avg 89; jezu, ale super film, muzycznie perełka, świetnie zagrany, wiecznie trzymający w napięciu, imo jeden z najlepszych zeszłorocznych filmów (albo tegorocznych, zależy jak spojrzeć)

2024'de #IzlediğimFilmler ; 202. Strange Darling Harika! Yine muhteşem bir Kyle Gallner ve Willa Fitzgerald! Mümkünse fragmanı bile izlemeden, hiçbir şey bilmeden izleyin. Yılın en iyilerinden. Büyük perdede izlemek büyük keyif. 8/10

It’s a twisted but very fun movie that keeps you on your toes, takes you by surprise, and leaves you guessing.