DARLIN’ (2019) ***

Darlin’, writer/director Pollyanna McIntosh’s sequel to the modern-day classic, The Woman begins with The Woman (once again played by McIntosh) dumping her teenage offspring, Darlin’ (Lauryn Canny) at the hospital in the middle of the night.  The wild, animalistic girl is taken in by the local Bishop (Bryan Batt) who places her in his Catholic school for wayward young girls.  The Bishop soon gets a hairbrained scheme to reform Darlin’ and make her over as a proper lady to show the world Jesus truly does save.  (Not to mention act as free publicity for his school.)  

Let’s just say, it does not go well. 

Darlin’ is frustrating at times, as its uneven tone and pacing prevents it from really taking flight.  Much of that has to do with the fact The Woman takes a backseat to her daughter for so much of the running time.  MacIntosh was such a force of nature in the original that it’s a little dismaying to see her playing most of the film from the sidelines.  Occasionally, she pops up now and then to remind you she’s still there (and to pad out the body count a bit).  These scenes don’t add much to the movie, especially the subplot with her taking up with an army of homeless women.  Still it’s just nice to see her covered from head to toe in muck again, even if she is relatively subdued this time around. 

The character of Darlin’ more than makes up for whatever flaws the movie has.  Canny totally creates a character you care about and root for.  It’s hard to see the finale (which I wouldn’t dream of spoiling) as anything short of a tragedy as (given her circumstances) Darlin’s prospects of either damnation or salvation look equally horrifying (and disgusting).

Overall, Darlin’ doesn’t come close to matching The Woman in terms of putting the audience through the wringer.  However, it does something surprisingly different while remaining thematically similar AND managing to keep the storyline from the original moving forward.  That alone is some kind of a high-wire act.  It has a personality all its own, while still feeling very much a part of its predecessor’s world.  (There are stretches that feel like a horror movie version of Lady Bird.)

I also like how this is the second time the female lead of a Lucky McKee movie went on to direct a sequel/remake of that film.  MacIntosh follows in the footsteps of Angela Bettis who directed the companion piece to McKee’s May, the underseen Roman.  While her performance here isn’t as revelatory as it was in The Woman, as a director, she shows so much promise that I’m already looking forward to her next feature, whatever that may be.  Now, will someone please let Misty Mundae direct a sequel to McKee’s Masters of Horror entry, Sick Girl so the trilogy of actresses-directing-sequels-to-McKee-movies can be complete!