2009's 'Offspring' was nasty, brutish, and short, an unembellished violent romp that rode a line of being excessive in its blood and gore. 2011 sequel 'The woman' was genuinely, excruciatingly, exquisitely horrifying, and brilliant, in building off the ideas of its predecessor and expanding the story in new, realist, awful ways. Pollyanna McIntosh, star of both films, had her work cut out for her in taking on this picture not only in following from the tremendous work of Andrew van den Houten, Lucky McKee, and Jack Ketchum, but also in doing so in her debut as both writer and director. What immediately comes across here is that it's a rather different story from its antecedents - and, as becomes more evident over the length, that it has a hard time finding its voice. When all is said and done I do very much enjoy 'Darlin',' but there's no mistaking that it's a very different set of flavors that may not find as much appeal with viewers.
The chief issue is that the picture swings somewhat irregularly between horror vibes and violence, to quieter drama of plainspoken themes, to tongue-in-cheek comedic flourishes that seem bizarre by comparison. The mishmash struggles at times to fit together, reflected in odd discrepancies in scene writing from one moment to the next, in successive story beats - and even in its characterizations, the title figure not least of all, that can't seem to find focus. None of this is to say that the picture doesn't work, or isn't entertaining, but it seems to me as though much more than with 'Offspring' or 'The woman,' the writing is straining at the seams, straining to hold itself together. With that said, I hardly mean to impugn the efforts of McIntosh - this is her first such endeavor, after all - but the difficulties are very noticeable.
There are tinges in 'Darlin'' of social commentary: the corruption, hypocrisy, misogyny, abuse, and otherwise oppression represented in the Catholic Church specifically and religious institutions generally, weighed against the unfettered freedom represented by The Woman and the life Darlin' has known. Levity and slight humor manifests peculiarly when putting The Woman or Darlin' in circumstances (including in scenes with other characters) that contrast sharply with how they are broadly written. The horror element that was so dominant in the first two films is largely sidelined, mostly appearing at the beginning and the end - though sprinkled throughout thanks to The Woman, and seen much more underhandedly in the revelations about the Church, and in the protagonist's character arc. Save perhaps for the humor there is an odd-fitting, off-kilter balance achieved, not least as the various story threads converge in a backhanded slap in the face of false piety and supposed spiritual righteousness. That climax is ultimately worthwhile, and subtly tasty, just as the plot that led up to it is softly engrossing and satisfying. Again, though, the amalgamation is so delicately stitched together that the whole constantly threatens to fall apart.
With all this having been said, I think 'Darlin'' is very well made. The cast give excellent performances all around; McIntosh, as writer and director, gives herself more opportunity as an actor to show nuance as such than she has at any other time when I've seen her. Uneven as Darlin' (the character) is written, Lauryn Canny gives a capable, steady performance to anchor the feature. The production design and art direction are swell, as are are blood, gore, and stunts, costume design, hair and makeup, and so on. For all of its difficulties, I think McIntosh's screenplay is more solid than not, and just has difficulties cobbling together everything that it wants to do, say, and be. I find no fault with her direction, and to emphasize again, all the contributions of those behind the scenes are good.
At length I feel that 'Darlin'' is worthwhile, but not essential even for fans of the preceding pictures. It's enjoyable on its own merits, and for the skills demonstrated by all involved. It doesn't feel entirely cohesive, however, and maybe not fully realized, as the disparate ideas can't quite mesh together. I admire the effort, though, and I look forward to seeing what McIntosh may give us in the future if she continues to develop as a filmmaker. Falling short of either 'Offspring' or especially 'The woman,' this 2019 film maybe isn't the ideal sequel we could have gotten, but all on hand put in sincere hard work, and it stands on its own nonetheless. Don't go out of your way to see it, but if you've watched the previous features with these characters and are open to all the wide possibilities thereafter, 'Darlin'' earns a modest recommendation on that basis.
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