By Nick Nitkowski

I’m not gonna lie, this movie is incredibly difficult to write a review for. Not because the movie is complex or incomprehensible, but because it is very easy to spoil just by saying the wrong thing. So, in order to avoid that, I will not be mentioning any plot points regarding this movie. All I will say is that this is one of those movies that is best to go in as blind as possible. The trailer that was released for the film does a great job of not revealing anything, which is an ability most trailers tend to lack.

So, without divulging any plot details, how is the movie itself? Pretty damn good. What I liked most about it is how unpredictable it is. I’ve seen a lot of movies and it’s always fascinating to me when I come across a film that I can’t predict what’s going to happen or where it’s going. I do still have fun with movies that are predictable, but it’s a breath of fresh air when they’re not.

The movie stars Willa Fitzgerald as “The Lady” and Kyle Gallner as “The Demon” and they are the main focal points of the film. They both essentially carry this film together and they both do a phenomenal job in their roles. Great acting on their parts. The film is written and directed by JT Mollner who has only written and directed one other feature film called “Outlaws and Angels” back in 2016. I haven’t seen that particular film, but with this one, I thought he did a great job not only in the writing but also in bringing that vision of what he wrote to life on screen. The writing of this film reminded me of the style of Quentin Tarantino, not just in terms of engaging dialogue, but the film itself is told out of order kind of like “Pulp Fiction” and at first I was curious as to why he chose to do that, but as it went on, this choice actually helped elevate the story more. If it was told in sequence, it probably wouldn’t have been as interesting or exciting. 

One of the most interesting behind-the-scenes things about this movie is that well-known actor Giovanni Ribisi from movies like “Avatar” and “Ted” and many other films serves as not only one of the producers of this film, but was also the director of photography on this film. Now, I know that many actors manage to transition into positions of writers, directors, and even producers, but I can’t think of any other actors who went on to be cinematographers on projects. I bring this up because there were a lot of interesting shots in this film that caught my eye and when I found out that Giovanni Ribisi was behind those shots, I was even more impressed.  

Another thing about the film that I noticed was the soundtrack. The choice of songs really stood out to me in a good way. According to the live Q&A that was presented after the showing I watched, apparently, all but one song was done by one artist known as Z Berg. I have never heard of this artist before, but after hearing the songs in the film, I might actually start streaming the soundtrack once it’s available when the movie releases.

Overall, this really was a great moviegoing experience. The actors did a great job, it was very well written and directed, the cinematography caught my eye, and I really enjoyed the soundtrack. I definitely recommend seeing this movie when it releases. But again, you must go in as blind as possible. The trailer doesn’t reveal anything, but it is still best to go in without knowing anything about the film. The film is not long either. Without trailers, I clocked the movie at around the hour-and-a-half mark. So, when you see a listing of “Strange Darling” at your local theater on August 23rd, just blindly purchase your ticket and go in fresh. It may seem Strange, but your overall experience in doing so will be Darling.

4.5 stars