Score: 5 / 5
And the award for most unforgivably overlooked film of the year goes to... drumroll, please...
Strange Darling.
Saying anything too detailed about this film will spoil it, so do yourself a favor. Look up no plot points, no summaries, no reviews. Just watch it. If anything, check trigger warnings, as there is some terribly gory violence and a sequence of violent (grim but consensual) sexual activity.
J.T. Mollner's writing and direction is some of the best of the year, incisive and timely even as it subverts every expectation you could attach to its outcome. Giovanni Ribisi's cinematography (I know, it surprised me too) is glorious and stunning in grainy, chromatically vivid 35mm film. Willa Fitzgerald (The Fall of the House of Usher, MTV's Scream, and more) and Kyle Gallner (scream king of Smile, Smile 2, and many more) churn out the best performances yet of their careers, respectively, in their sadistic cat-and-mouse game. Barbara Hershey even shows up, which is always a good thing. Edited to pretentious perfection, this thriller is indeed a nonstop thrill ride that had me constantly gasping for air even as I chuckled my way through.
Don't look up anything. Don't hesitate. Curl up for a quiet movie night, eliminate any distractions, try not to grind your teeth, and enjoy. Strange Darling deserves all your energy.
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