Séduire la mort

Although it is a thrilling film in parts, somewhat sagging, it was woefully let down by the incredible and bizarre stupidity of the characters.

If everyone was rational the film would have ended in 10 minutes, but no absurdity had to get a look in.

I loved the non linear story telling. Your mind is taken through a tense drama of cat and mouse, and then back and forth with different chapters, filling in more detail as you build a picture of whole drama.

But, a big but, and this is why everyone complains the golden age of cinema is well and truly over. To make the story work the film needed a tonne of stupidity and suspension of disbelief. This lets the film down badly to the extent you leave the cinema thinking it was all rubbish.

I think the film will end up at 6.7 (it started off at 8 and at the time of writing it had fallen to 7.1). Another wannabe-clever film, soon to be forgotten.

A sleeper hit of 2023. It has everything I want from a thriller: Stellar performances (Willa Fitzgerald freaking killed it), top-notch cinematography, great original scores and sound mixing, simple yet interesting plot, story structure that is similar to Christopher Nolan's Memento in nature and it subverts my expectations at every turn. Every time you think you know the answer, the movie just does a complete uno reverse; not that it's that creative, original or unconventional, I just believe Strange Darling is one of those thrillers told in the most memorable, fun and artistic ways, and I assure you it is not easy to please me as an enthusiastic cinephile. It reminds you a lot of Drive 2011.

Nothing else to say, go watch it already. One of the most immersive 1 hour and 30 minutes.

I read a review that said do not read the reviews and go in to the theatre as blind as possible and that was great advice! I only saw the trailer one time. This was a beautifully shot 35 millimeter horror action thriller that is shown out of order for best shock and surprises, great lighting. Very well casted and acted. The action and gore FX, wardrobe, and car choices are all on point. I dont want to give anything away so will keep this review vague. Worth seeing in the theatre vs waiting to stream. This was far better than other recent horror films out including the lame Longlegs and the weird as hell Cuckoo movies. I highly recommend this film 8/10.

Recently watched Strange Darling, and I have to admit, I was left feeling a bit disappointed. The premise-a one-night stand spiraling into a serial killer's murder spree-sounded thrilling, but unfortunately, I saw the twist coming too early, which really affected my enjoyment.

While I appreciate that many people praised the acting, I personally found it lacking. The performances didn't resonate with me the way I had hoped, and instead of drawing me into the story, they kept me at arm's length. I wanted to connect with the characters, but their portrayals fell flat for my taste.

Additionally, the pacing of the movie felt off. It seemed to drag on longer than necessary, making it hard for me to stay engaged. I found myself checking the time, which is never a good sign in a thriller. The buildup felt drawn out, and by the time the action picked up, I was already losing interest.

Overall, while Strage Darling had the potential for something gripping, the predictable twist and the pacing issues really detracted from my experience. I can see why some might enjoy it, but for me, it just didn't hit the mark.

This movie is a well-engineered crafty quasi-erotic thriller that keeps you engaged until the very end. While a low budget movie, there are quite a few dramatic and super dramatic plot points that have you wondering what they might have done with a conventional robust budget.

The movie is presented in six chapters - and I will admit I'm generally not a fan of "chapters" - and initially I found this to be a distraction.. but as the movie moved along you realize the plot device was quite strategic.

The movie is a stark reminder why you should see thrillers as soon as they come out because it's hard to imagine that many well-intentioned reviewers won't spoil the movie simply in the title of their review.

I will certainly credit the director for making a thrilling memorable movie from very little resources to work with.

And the actress at the center of the movie (Willa Fitzgerald) gives a masterful performance.