Strange Darling

I have been hearing a lot of buzz about Strange Darling so I decided to make an effort to see it late last night (it is not showing at many times or locations near me) and let me tell you the hype is real!  It begins with a terrified woman (Willa Fitzgerald) running for her life with a man (Kyle Gallner) pursuing her relentlessly with a shotgun through the forest.  It ends with the final rampage of a serial killer who has been terrorizing the Western United States for two years and absolutely nothing is as it seems!  The narrative is told with six chapters and an epilogue arranged in a nonlinear order and this is incredibly effective because it subverts expectations with every new revelation!  Definitely pay attention to the details because half the fun is trying to figure out how the pieces eventually fit together.  The cat-and-mouse chase sequences are intense and bloody, the visuals are surprisingly gorgeous (it is shot on 35mm film by first time DP Giovanni Ribisi who is more known for his acting career), and the score really adds to the tension (I also really liked the moody and atmospheric original songs by Z Berg, especially "No Matter What I Do").  Barbara Hershey and Ed Begley, Jr. are hilarious as a pair of quirky hippies who get caught up in the chase and Gallner is outstanding as a fascinating character whose motivation is a tantalizing mystery throughout.  But it is the relatively unknown Fitzgerald who gives a bravura performance because, without any spoilers, her character arc is wild and she nails every nuance.  This is one of the most surprising movies I've seen all year with so many unexpected twists and turns that I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.  It is definitely worth seeking out but I highly recommend going in as blind as possible.