Darlin' (2019)
3/10
Absolutely nothing like The Woman
9 March 2022
Wow, what a disappointment. I mean, the possibilities stemming from the end of the previous movie. What was the Woman's life like? What is the fate of the daughter she just walks away with? How would she be raised? In this movie, the girl is hit by an ambulance, sent off to a religious school for the nefarious purposes of a crooked bishop, meanwhile, the Woman tries to track her down. When she finally does, well, the ending makes no sense.

I think what I hated most about this movie, was that it seemed to be purely about agendas and messages. Even the songs in it are hitting you over the head! Characterization takes a back seat (or you're just left with plain caricatures). I thought The Woman handled its social commentary much more eloquently. This was pretty dumb.

I suppose the "men are despicable" angle is a commonality. Here, every single "bad guy" gets his comeuppance, as in, they are killed, by a woman. The only competent, compassionate, helpful males in this movie are a gay couple (2019, yeah, that's accurate). The "worst" perpetrator, the bishop, is played so OTT, that he is one moustache twirl and a lady tied to the tracks away from being a cartoon character. Of course the foxy nun gets to wear a sweater and jeans, while every frumpy nun wore their habits. I had no idea what to make of that.

Darlin'. She is feral and mute to begin with, and after spending a little time at the school, can fully comprehend English, speak like a normal person, AND grasp religious philosophies thrown her way! Then the nurse from the hospital pays her a visit, and she speaks in broken English. What, did the editor get the scenes mixed up? Oh, they throw in a little E. T. too, for good measure. Like, my hand was on my forehead. And there is a point where this movie becomes a comedy for a while. New girl drinks a bottle of bleach and nothing happens. The End.

The title character, played by Lauryn Canny, did a nice job of playing a feral little girl. Hence the extra star.

Glowing review from a prominent movie review site on the back. Ohhhhhhhh... a horror movie with real-life issues and messages. That's an automatic "thumbs up."
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