Darling (D+) Movie Review
Darling stars Lauren Ashley Carter as a (possibly) mentally unstable young girl who's been asked to look after a New York City mansion for a little while. During her stay, she realizes there may have been some secrets the landlord left out. She feels herself growing more and more mentally unstable and has an encounter with a man she may or may not have met before.
This tiny, tiny indie horror film premiered at the 2015 Fantastic Fest and is seeing the light of day through a VOD/limited theaters release. It's poised as the very definition of indie horror: a film that will confound the ordinary horror viewer and leave them restless. But unlike the best of indie horror, Darling likely won't please even the more patient viewers and takes the old horror rule of "leaving more to the viewer's imagination" too far.
Darling is a frustrating experience because of its overbearing ambiguity. All of the events pictured here may or may not have happened, and that's okay. A film can do that much and still be terrifying. But Darling's ambiguity feels totally unearned; there is hardly anything of a concrete story underneath all the flashing lights and hallucinatory images.
Our central character, who may or may not be evil or possessed, is played by Lauren Ashley Carter. Carter's big eyes are captivating and her natural screen presence gives you hope that something of interest will happen soon. It usually doesn't, but Carter herself is an enigma and fun to watch. Her performance can veer into shaky territory, particularly during her more "intense" moments, but her bug-eyed, childlike look is enough to carry you through.
The black and white visuals are absolutely stunning. DP Mac Fiskin somehow makes New York City seem incredibly lonely, which not only reflects Carter's character's mindset beautifully but presents a sense of foreboding doom. The images themselves are beautiful to look at and the film feels like a throwback to 70s horror through the way in which it's shot.
When director Mickey Keating can't deliver on scares, he successfully creates a sense of unease throughout. In the beginning, Darling warns you about "flashing lights and hallucinatory images." These flashing lights and hallucinatory images are fun and feel, again, like a throwback to classic horror. Paired with Carter's creepy performance, a sense of dread is created in which you always feel like something might happen.
Unfortunately, nothing ever really does. It speaks volumes that Darling only runs seventy-six minutes and I can only think of one genuinely interesting thing that happened throughout the entire run time... and that interesting thing happens right in the middle. Plot is undoubtedly tossed to the side here in favor of style. There's little that's revelatory or substantial here.
Ambiguous to a fault, Darling represents the worst of indie horror: something that validates all the criticisms that mainstream audience members have with the indie genre. Keating effectively creates a sense of mood and atmosphere but with no pay-off and little to build upon that atmosphere, Darling is a waste of time.
FINAL GRADE: D+
MPAA RATING: NR
This tiny, tiny indie horror film premiered at the 2015 Fantastic Fest and is seeing the light of day through a VOD/limited theaters release. It's poised as the very definition of indie horror: a film that will confound the ordinary horror viewer and leave them restless. But unlike the best of indie horror, Darling likely won't please even the more patient viewers and takes the old horror rule of "leaving more to the viewer's imagination" too far.
Darling is a frustrating experience because of its overbearing ambiguity. All of the events pictured here may or may not have happened, and that's okay. A film can do that much and still be terrifying. But Darling's ambiguity feels totally unearned; there is hardly anything of a concrete story underneath all the flashing lights and hallucinatory images.
Our central character, who may or may not be evil or possessed, is played by Lauren Ashley Carter. Carter's big eyes are captivating and her natural screen presence gives you hope that something of interest will happen soon. It usually doesn't, but Carter herself is an enigma and fun to watch. Her performance can veer into shaky territory, particularly during her more "intense" moments, but her bug-eyed, childlike look is enough to carry you through.
The black and white visuals are absolutely stunning. DP Mac Fiskin somehow makes New York City seem incredibly lonely, which not only reflects Carter's character's mindset beautifully but presents a sense of foreboding doom. The images themselves are beautiful to look at and the film feels like a throwback to 70s horror through the way in which it's shot.
When director Mickey Keating can't deliver on scares, he successfully creates a sense of unease throughout. In the beginning, Darling warns you about "flashing lights and hallucinatory images." These flashing lights and hallucinatory images are fun and feel, again, like a throwback to classic horror. Paired with Carter's creepy performance, a sense of dread is created in which you always feel like something might happen.
Unfortunately, nothing ever really does. It speaks volumes that Darling only runs seventy-six minutes and I can only think of one genuinely interesting thing that happened throughout the entire run time... and that interesting thing happens right in the middle. Plot is undoubtedly tossed to the side here in favor of style. There's little that's revelatory or substantial here.
Ambiguous to a fault, Darling represents the worst of indie horror: something that validates all the criticisms that mainstream audience members have with the indie genre. Keating effectively creates a sense of mood and atmosphere but with no pay-off and little to build upon that atmosphere, Darling is a waste of time.
FINAL GRADE: D+
MPAA RATING: NR