Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Strange Darling 

This is one of the most brilliantly written thrillers I’ve seen in a long time! Now this is a small movie that didn’t get a massive marketing push  and I don’t know why as it’s a terrific film that is among one of the smartest written films of its genre I’ve seen in ages! This film is a Russian doll of suspense as when you think it’s one thing it evolves  into something else entirely. The film has so many twist and turns it keeps you on edge the entire time while also showcasing a career best performance by Willa Fitzgerald commanding the screen in a terrifyingly brilliant leading role Strange Darling is one of the smartest written screenplays of the year that will have your pulse pounding until the film is over. 

Firstly, the films writing as I mentioned is truly terrific as it’s able to set up a story where the audience thinks they know how the events will turn out in many ways it’s very Hitchcock in its approach as he was a filmmaker that would trick his audience into thinking they knew ten steps ahead of the characters when In reality he wants you to think you know what’s going to happen and then flip the tables on you which is exactly what JT Mollner did with his approach to this film it’s very much a old fashioned mystery type approach to storytelling in this film that crackles onscreen. The film is able to blend elements of a thriller, horror film and constantly evolving mystery element to it that blends so well in a way that works for this type of story. It also is a story that takes place in 48  hours and is a ticking bomb of a narrative as we see both people going after each other but who will come out on top it is able to keep the audience in the dark to its final moments. It tackles very real themes of manipulation, being a false victim, using your gender to to advantage of a situation and its shown in such terrifying truth that what you witness and how it happens could really happen to somebody. It’s very much rooted in reality to a horrifying degree. The sheer scope of the film is done in such a nail biting way that keeps you on edge JT Mollner and everyone on the creative team really brings a fantastic story to audiences that is unlike anything we have seen from this genre in years. It is fresh, unique and constantly keeps finding new ways to surprise the audience. The way the characters are written is masterful as the dialogue just soars off the page and it is one of the most well thought out thrillers I have seen all year as their are so many films that have been made in the style of this and the film makes you feel like it is just another average horror film until it totally switches up it’s gears and injects fresh life into this style of storytelling in a way that is so engaging to watch. JT Mollner gives amazing style and the writing here is also top notch. 

Secondly, The two lead performances are tremendous! Now I think the person that plays the Demon Kyle Gallner does a great Job at us not knowing what to make of him if we are supposed to like him or not. He operates in this grey area where as the audience we have this thought in your head that we shouldn’t trust him even though he is trying to prove he is a guy that isn’t remotely a bad person the film frames him in a way that makes you question that though constantly. He is able to work with that and truly give a emotionally playful performance that has him sway both ways and Kyle Gallner does it tremendously brining such terror to his eyes but also a calmness that makes you feel like he also can be a good person at the same time. Having him play both sides of that coin in a way that we the audience keep questioning how to feel about it was a brilliant choice as character wise Kyle gets so much to use in terms of performance. He is truly terrific and at times terrifying in this morally grey character that just drips with charisma. Then you have Will Fitzgerald who gives a career best performance with her role in this film. Now I remember this actress from the MTV Scream Series that many forget was even a thing but one of the many highlights from those 2 seasons was her terrific performance  on the series. That is when I really got notice of her and so when I heard she was playing the lead in this film I was so happy as I feel not many people know of her work as an actor and she’s a great talent that just hasn’t had the big break to showcase her chops and so to see her front and centre in this horror thriller I hope will open more opportunities for her for big leading roles as she has shown amazingly to people with her involvement with this project that she is a outstandingly talented actor that can chew up the scenes she’s in. As she gives a performance in this film that plays with your head and will terrify you while also impressing you she commands the screen with every ounce of commitment to the role she’s given and delivers one of the best horror performances I have seen all year. Now this film isn’t a Huge cast it is mostly just a chess match between Kyle and Willa and both of them give truly solid performances that will have you in awe. 

Lastly, Strange Darling is a genius film from a narrative point of view that is amazingly well written and has such a old fashioned style to it that we don’t get from these kind of films anymore and it gives fantastic mystery, twist and Turns along with horror elements but it is not a straight horror film this film actually feels more like Seven or Collateral in many ways. Now the film also packs such strong a fantastically morally shady performance from Kyle Gallner and a star making performance from Willa Fitzgerald delivering a truly stunning turn in this film that will have your jaw on the floor. The sheer way this film tackles heavy themes of Using your sexual identity to your advantage, profiling and many other great tones are done in a way that feels very real and grounded it never goes to a realm of impossibility but firmly keeps its feet on the ground that this situation could really happen to someone which is what makes it the all more terrifying. Strange Darling delivers on all fronts with Style, storytelling, performance and also incredible enjoyment you will get from this pulse pounding ticking clock of a film that will have you with such anxiety to see who will prevail. Strange Darling is greatly done and one of the best films of the year and one I hope people do check out as it has not been promoted a ton but I hope word of mouth will get a lot more people to check out this truly terrific picture. 

This film centres around a date gone wrong and a woman and a man going after one another but who’s the one we should be rooting for? 

Rated R : Sexual Material|Language|Drug Use|Strong/Bloody Violent Content

Willa Fitzgerald : Willa delivers a deliciously unpredictable performance in this film that will amaze you! Now as I mentioned I remember this great young talented actress from the criminally underrated show MTV’s Scream series that had so much potential to be a long running show but never was fully realized to its full potential. Now Willa Fitzgerald’s presence in that show is how she got on my radar and how I saw her great range emotionally was from that show. She hasn’t had major roles since then and to be honest I haven’t seen any screen credits from her since that short lived series so when I saw she was the lead actress of this independent horror thriller I was so excited to see her back in the spotlight as she is a actress that hasn’t had her moment to show people what she is capable of doing as the lead of project until now. She plays a nameless character none of the key characters even have names she plays this woman who goes on a date and who we are to believe is this overly cautious person that wants to go on dates but is scared how some men might be when she goes out in a private area with them. Now what I like about how she approaches this character is within the first few minutes we are in full support of her coming out on top due to how the film frames her. She plays this character that isn’t someone the audience thinks they know as within this genre it has always been we support the female characters as that traditionally is always has always been the ‘final girl’ we root for but she uses that to her advantage to manipulate the viewer in the best way that has you have no idea of where this character is going morally. She keeps you in the dark with her arc and I love that as it gives Willa so much room to play with emotionally with this complex personality she brings to the screen. She has a massive character switch that happens halfway through this film that will shock and stun you in ways you don’t expect and I can’t go into specifics without spoiling it so I will say the side she channels in that second and third act of the film is so smartly done that will terrify you and it is so smartly well thought out that shows aspects of her acting range we have Never seen her tap into before. She goes from this person that is terrified of being in a car with a man alone on a first date and establishes the risks she takes when going to a setting With no one around and how her safety can be in jeopardy with every date she takes with a man and she is able to make you believe that she is someone that we should get behind and is a person that can be in great peril from going on this date but is her safety really in jeopardyor is that what she just wants us to believe. Willa Fitzgerald plays with the audiences head that way and pulls off a hat trick of a character switch that is outstanding as the person she presents in the second act is so different to who she is when we first meet her and their is a full spectrum of emotional sides to her we see throughout the picture and she dives head first into this role and gives it her all playing with the dialogue and having come to great life with her amazing ability of breathing such life to each word she speaks. She elevates the dialogue with her unspoken speaking to the viewer through the looks in her eyes you can see what she is feeling and saying without having to say a single word. By the time the film ends we know inside and out who this character is and Willa is a totally opposite person compared to who we met in the first encounter of us seeing her after you view her work in the film for a first viewing it makes multiple viewings the more fun as you can go back and see how she build up that character pay off that works so well later on in the film that throws you for a total 360. Willa Fitzgerald is firing on all cylinders she pours her blood sweat and tears into this performance the moment she is on-screen you cannot take your eyes off of her she is a natural at anchoring leading status material and I cannot wait to see what she does next and the sheer success she will get from the stellar work she brought to this film. She is able to use her gender in many ways as her weapon in this film is the best way to describe how she manipulates the viewer in the most vague way possible to describe it as she crackles with such charm, terror, emotional unpredictability and she chews up the scenery with her committed and deliciously flirty and dark performance given in this film that will have you in awe of what she brings to this multi layered person. Willa Fitzgerald takes the final girl mentality and flips it on its head in a way that works amazingly well and her sheer commitment to this well written personality is what is one of the strongest parts of what makes strange darling so compelling is her outstanding performance at the centre of it.    

JT Mollner : JT has crafted one of the best thriller/ horror films I have seen since Get Out! Now I get that Is a huge compliment but it is so deserving after you see how well he has captured this film you will see why I say that. He is a filmmaker who I have not even heard of before watching this film but after seeing his work on Strange Darling I will for sure keeping a eye on him due to his amazing fit for the horror genre and just a natural when it comes to storytelling. Now aside from one other directing and writing credit this is his second stab at bringing a film to the screen and it seems he has defiantly found his footing in terms of what his strong suit which is psychological horror/ thrillers. This is not an average horror I wouldn’t even say it is that it operates more as a thriller with horror undertones for sure but he is able to blend both those genres together in a way that compliant one another and the style he brings to the frame is that of a old school thriller that feels ripped right out of the 1970’s and old school Hitchcock. He draws the audience in from a non linear way of storytelling with showing a big action sequence and then going backwards to see how we arrived at the opening sequence and I love how he was able to execute that as it never felt like lazy writing or something we have seen before he was able to keep it exciting in a way that felt so suspenseful and well planned. So many films use non linear due to Tarantino and Nolan but it didn’t feel like he was just doing it to be cool it worked perfectly to the story at hand and then when it came to the way he wrote the film is truly incredible as he is able to layer it in shadows what I mean by that is you have no idea what direction this film is going into the whole time and I loved that. It is incredibly hard to write a film that is a Russian doll of storytelling as having it evolve into something else you don’t expect constantly and do it in a way that keeps surprising the audience is writing wise one of the hardest things to do as most audiences think their ahead of the characters and that is where the Hitchcock homage comes in as he was someone that made the viewer think they knew what was happening only to flip the tables on them which is exactly what he does here so greatly. He uses the theme of gender manipulation in a way that is utterly horrifying as he places it in a situation where something like this could actually happen which makes the film that more terrifying to watch unfold. He does not need high amounts of blood and gore to scare the audience he is fully capable of frightening the viewer from the sharp writing at hand and how horrifying the story he has smartly put together can be just as effective to scare the audience without having to resort to high amounts of gore to make it scary he achieved that greatly through his genius and incredible writing at hand. He has so much great confidence in himself as a writer and as a filmmaker as the film never felt overlong or to short the characters are so well fleshed out but he also does not reveal to much that the audience knows what will happen in the first 10 minutes he purposely keeps you in the dark as that is part of the fun of this film is not knowing what will be coming around the corner in the next scene and that feeling of not knowing is what keeps you on edge the whole time. It is brilliantly brought to the screen by JT Mollner who gives great twist and turns to this film and has amazing performances from both leads that are able to be playful with the dialogue in a way that makes you question who’s side you should be on  and that is a testament to great acting from both leads brining their respected parts to life with such energy. JT has crafted one of the best written and directed Thriller/ horror films I have seen in a while he made a film that will have you thinking about it long after it is over and will have you want to revisit it multiple times I see this film becoming a cult classic film in a few years JT Mollner amazingly executed this film from writing, style, direction he did a tremendous Job with this picture.