Spoilers got lost around the third twist.

There’s nothing like a twist in a film. It lends itself to most genres, but it’s mostly at home in thrillers. Now before we get to our feature this week, I must warn you that in order to bring forth any and all twists (yes, plural) it pulls the non-sequential narrative. And this particular story lends itself to confusion and misdirection easily. This film works better the less you know about it, so stop now and go watch it.

(Credit: MIRAMAX)

Strange Darling (2024) is written and directed by JT Mollner. When the film starts, we see a woman we will call The Lady (Willa Fitzgerald) running away as fast as she can. Her face betrays her distress and she seems to be hurt. Chasing behind her is a man we will know as The Demon (Kyle Gallner). He’s armed and seems determined to hunt down The Lady. This would be a good time to tell you we’re not going to watch this movie in order. And now, you have everything you need to know about the setup.

The filmmaker knew very much how to subvert expectations in this film. The movie has to deal with a lot of tropes and character traits. It’s obvious there’s more to the characters (not to mention the plot) that meets the eye. The movie relies very much on the performances of both main leads, with Fitzgerald pulling a rather strong performance worth the ticket alone. That being said, some of the twists work better than others. Savvy audiences can probably figure out a few faints that are obvious misdirection. The way it does go about wrapping up the entire plot is almost accidental.

Highly recommended for fans of the suspenseful thriller with an assortment of twists and reveals. It might alienate casual audiences, but it also has enough adrenaline to satisfy some mainstream viewers. Its biggest strength is also its weakness. Once you see it, only a few will want to see it again. That being said this film is very much worth a watch, and probably a second one where you bring your buddies along knowing what’s in store for them.

That will do for now.