Based on true events “perhaps”, The premise of Strange Darling is simple – a serial killer is on the loose leaving a trail of bodies along the way, and the story is weaved along a particular sequence of events. In this story, the perception of the characters outweighs the world building and characterization which itself was an innovative style of filmmaking. In its opening scene, the camera pans on a character who seemingly is shown to strangle another character while being asked the question, ‘Are You A Serial Killer?’. To make things even more interesting, you see the screenplay being divided into 7 chapters (rather 6 chapters and one epilogue) while starting the proceedings at about the halfway mark with chapter 3. This seemingly non-linear style of storytelling was interesting and added layers to its screenplay standing at about 90 odd minutes.

Now anything that I say or even remotely try and analyze stuff here would leave to direct spoilers, and so I will restrict myself with the use of words. So here, the drama opens with a chase sequence featuring two characters that sets the ball rolling. There is tension in the air even as an array of bullets are fired even as the characters indulge in a little game of cat and mouse. The setting of the woods in the middle of nowhere only adds to the intrigue in the drama and mystery, even as the camera follows a character to a house nearby. But as the drama unfolds, the layers of tension are slowly escalated in what is truly some edge of the seat stuff here.

An interesting subversion in the drama did come in the form of the character dynamics between the two principal characters which was very different from what we saw in the first place. There is a playful energy between the two with traces (well a lot more than traces) of intimacy in a timeline that is different from the start of the film. You are witness to the chemistry between the two that almost felt riddled with a searing layer of tension underneath, particularly because you were aware of what did transpire between the two at a latter point in the narrative. This could also be viewed as a case of a toxic relationship budding between two characters that would only get worse with time, a little sub-genre of sorts that further adds layers to the screenplay.

By the time the cat is out of the bag, the entire perception of the drama and the character changes even as the writers maintain a stranglehold on the narrative with frequent bouts of tension that releases in the form of some event unfolding onscreen. The events are gory and disturbing while also keeping you on the edge of your seat, while allowing space to imbibe the shock value and ultimately indulge in the same. This pretty much continues until the very end thereby summing up the screenplay that was very well written.