Fantasia 2019 review: DARLIN’ takes a bloody bite out of the patriarchy

Nearly a decade after her starring role as the unnamed lead in Lucky McKee’s brutal 2011 film The Woman, Pollyanna McIntosh (also of The Walking Dead fame) returns to the mute and feral character in Darlin’, which also marks her screenwriting and directing debut. Interjecting some comedy into the proceedings, along with some very direct commentary on feminism, misogyny, religion, and Catholic Church sex abuse, Darlin’ is a very busy film that often tackles more themes and plot points than McIntosh can properly address in a single film.

After being hit by an ambulance, a filthy, feral young girl know only as Darlin’ (Lauryn Canny) is admitted to a Catholic hospital. She quickly comes to the attention of a smarmy bishop (Bryan Batt), who realizes he can use her feral nature as a tool to demonstrate the healing power of the church by “rehabilitating” her, and turning her into a clean and modern young woman. Meanwhile, while Darlin’ is settling into her new home at an all-girls reform school, “the Woman” is hunting her down, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake.

Darlin’ works best when it focuses on the title character’s forced integration into society and religion, and the bishop’s plan to twist her nature to benefit the church (and to keep the money flowing in from Rome). Lauryn Canny does a great job of portraying Darlin’s metamorphosis from an animal-like creature to a seemingly upstanding, God-fearing young woman, and McIntosh lands her best shots at the church and the patriarchy in general in these moments. Unfortunately, there is a lot of plot stuffed into this movie, and not everything works as well.

Much of the film’s humour is derived from the strange road trip that “the Woman” takes to track down Darlin’, which includes stealing a baby carrier from a bewildered young couple, and randomly murdering people she encounters (all while still caked in a thick coating of filth and dirt). The film really goes off the rails when the Woman teams up with a group of homeless women (led by a scenery-chewing Eugenie Bondurant as Mona), who band together with the Woman to help her free Darlin’.

Darlin’ shows a true visual flair, from the film’s striking color palette to the well-executed moments of violence, but ultimately gets bogged down due to the over-stuffed plot and inconsistent tone. Canny and McIntosh deliver riveting performances, but nearly everyone else is operating on a level of campiness that seems at odds with the film the two main leads are in. That said, Darlin’ is an empowering, female-led horror film that has enough going for it to warrant a recommendation to those looking for a strong, bloody takedown of the patriarchy. It may not work for everyone, but Darlin’ is sure to touch a nerve and resonate with viewers who can go along with the film’s off-kilter tonal shifts. Either way, with this film Pollyanna McIntosh has announced herself as a major force to watch in the horror world — it’s exciting to think of where she will go from here.

Darlin’ is in select theatres and on VOD as of July 12. The film also screens at the Fantasia International Film Festival on Monday, July 15 at 9:15 pm.  More info and tickets are available here.