80
Metascore
23 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100San Francisco ChronicleCary DarlingSan Francisco ChronicleCary DarlingAll in all, in a time when so many movies evaporate from memory as soon as the credits roll, “Strange Darling” — love it or loathe it — is the kind of film that engenders conversation.
- 100IndieWireAlison ForemanIndieWireAlison ForemanAn excruciating chase film, a terrifying puzzle-box whodunit, and a testament to romanticizing even the darkest cinema in glowing 35mm, Strange Darling is an outright triumph.
- 90Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzArizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzStrange Darling is an original, well worth seeing — and then talking about.
- 90The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisPlaying out in six, ingeniously scrambled chapters, this headlong thriller transforms a simple cat-and-mouse premise — and maybe even a toxic love story — into an impertinent rebuke to genre clichés and our own preprogrammed assumptions.
- 90ColliderTaylor GatesColliderTaylor GatesStrange Darling is a magic trick, showing you its cards up front and leaving your mind to fill in the blanks while it subtly performs a sleight of hand.
- 83Original-CinLiz BraunOriginal-CinLiz BraunStrange Darling is a thriller structured as a complex series of surprises. Writing anything much about the story runs the risk of spoiling some of those surprises, so this will be a short review. Go and see it.
- 80VarietyMichael NordineVarietyMichael NordineWriter-director JT Mollner flips the script on this tired genre, crafting the cleverest thriller of its kind in a while with a mighty assist from a pair of killer performances by co-leads Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner. Best experienced with as little foreknowledge as possible, Strange Darling demands a bit of patience, but it also rewards it.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreIt matters that the story’s told out of order. It’s great that they landed Hershey and Begley for small but chewy supporting roles. And Fitzgerald’s gamble on her most daring, naked (not quite literally) performance pays off in what could be her break-out role, even if she had a bit of explaining to do to mom and dad when the credits rolled.
- 75Slant MagazineRoss McIndoeSlant MagazineRoss McIndoeStrange Darling is a cunningly devised thriller that wields our assumptions against us like a sharp implement, delighting in making us squirm.
- 75SlashfilmChris EvangelistaSlashfilmChris EvangelistaNot everything works — for example, there are multiple moments where characters are firing up cigs with Zippo lighters that seem painfully choreographed to look "cool" — but the film is so energetic and intense that it's hard to not go along for the ride.