Darlin' (2019 film)
| Darlin' | |
|---|---|
_Film_Poster.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Pollyanna McIntosh |
| Written by | Pollyanna McIntosh Jack Ketchum & Lucky McKee (based on characters created by) |
| Produced by | Andrew van den Houten |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Halyna Hutchins |
| Edited by | Julie Garces |
Production company | Hood River Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Dark Sky Film Capelight Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Darlin' is a 2019 feature film written and directed by Pollyanna McIntosh,[1] who describes it as "a social issue horror film".[2] It is a standalone sequel to the 2011 Lucky McKee film The Woman, in which McIntosh played the title role.[3]
Plot
At the end of the previous film, Darlin', Peggy, and Socket Cleek joined the feral woman to live in the wilderness. Years later, Peggy and Socket are gone, while the now teenage Darlin' has developed a feral personality. One day, Darlin' is found by civilization and taken to a hospital, then a Catholic boarding school called St. Philomena's, where the staff and other students attempt to civilize her. A nurse named Tony who was the first to find and befriend her tries to look out for her, but is repeatedly turned away by the school for being gay. Though she has forgotten how to speak, she is renamed Darlin' after the name on her bracelet. She slowly regains her ability to speak and befriends some of the other students, especially a trouble-making tomboy named Billy, but has trouble adjusting to modern life and is disturbed by the school's teachings about the Devil. A greedy bishop attempts to exploit her for fame and fortune. Eventually, the feral woman enters the city and kills everyone in her path to retrieve her adoptive daughter Darlin', though she befriends a group of homeless prostitutes.
The bishop is a pedophile who regularly preys on the girls, and had preyed on the school's Sister Jennifer when she was a child. He tries to seduce Darlin', only to discover she is pregnant. She reveals that her sister Peggy had died in childbirth after having a stillborn child, which made Socket run away. A few months ago, she and the woman captured a hiker and they had sex before the woman killed him. The woman made her go to civilization so that she could deliver the baby safely. However, due to the school's teachings and what happened to Peggy, Darlin' believes the baby inside her is the Devil, and repeatedly pleads with God to save her.
When Darlin' is about to receive her First Communion, she attempts either suicide or to induce a miscarriage by drinking bleach, but all it does is make her sick. During the ceremony, Sister Jennifer plays a recording of the bishop confessing his crimes, which makes several people walk out in disgust. Darlin' bites a chunk out of his hand, but suddenly goes into labor. The woman and the homeless prostitutes storm the church and the woman kills the bishop. Tony, his boyfriend Robert, Sister Jennifer, and Billy help deliver Darlin's child, a girl. Darlin' tells the woman to take the baby far away. As sirens approach, Tony, Robert, Sister Jennifer, and Billy tend to Darlin', while the woman takes the baby and walks out.
Cast
- Lauryn Canny as Darlin' Cleek
- Bryan Batt as The Bishop
- Nora-Jane Noone as Sister Jennifer
- Cooper Andrews as Nurse Tony
- Pollyanna McIntosh as The Woman
- John McConnell as Dr. Grant
- Geraldine Singer as Sister Grace
- Maddie Nichols as Billy
- Mackenzie Graham as Bug
- Jeff Pope as Clown
- Eugenie Bondurant as Mona
- Sabrina Gennarino as Charity
- Thomas Francis Murphy as The Cardinal
- Damon Lipari as Robert
Lauren Ashley Carter and Alexa Marcigliano reprise their The Woman roles as Peggy and Socket Cleek, respectively.
References
- ^ Harvey, Dennis (14 March 2019). "SXSW Film Review: Darlin'". Variety. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ "Cannes: 'Walking Dead' Star Pollyanna McIntosh Unveils Directorial Debut 'Darlin'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- ^ July, Beandrea (10 March 2019). "Darlin': Film Review SXSW 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 April 2019.