The
world would be much more humane if we had more feral mad women and fewer
doctors and nuns. That is the basic lesson of the latest cinematic ode to the
noble savage. In this case, it comes with a dump-truck load of anti-Catholic
propaganda. Grab for your Tylenol, because this film broadcasts its lectures at
mega-decibels. Subtlety will be damned to infernal Hell when Pollyanna
McIntosh’s Darlin’ opens this Friday
in theaters.
Technically,
Darlin’ is an original sequel to
Lucky McKee’s The Woman, which was
based on Jack Ketchum’s edgy novel. McIntosh reprises her role as “The Woman,”
while also serving as director and screenwriter this time around. Arguably, the
film’s lineage is the most interesting thing about it.
As
the film opens, the Woman has been separated from her daughter, “Darlin’,” who
has the great misfortune of wandering into a hospital that has just been
acquired by the local Catholic diocese. Supposedly, they are also desperately
short of funds, so this take-over does not make much sense, but this film is
not about logic. It is just an excuse to grab a cudgel and beat the Catholic
Church to a bloody, gory pulp.
Of
course, the arrogant chief attending wants nothing to do with the dirty, smelly
girl, but the Bishop swoops in sensing a golden opportunity. If he can document
the Church’s successful efforts to civilize (McIntosh and company would put
scare quotes around that word) her, it should secure a steady stream of
donations, so he transfers her to the local girls’ orphanage. It will be poor
Sister Jennifer’s job to oversee her education, particularly her religious
studies (natch’). As the Woman follows her trail, Darlin’ rather tragically
takes to Catholic dogma.
Presumably,
McIntosh and company thought they were striking blows against patriarchy,
misogyny, homophobia, and bourgeoisie squareness, over and over again. However,
the real truth is conservative traditionalists would dearly love for average
folks in Middle America to see Darlin’,
because it is so relentlessly didactic and nakedly hostile to anyone who might
disagree with it, it will inevitably push away hearts and minds rather than
convert them. There are no real characters in Darlin’, only straw men and symbols. As soon as we meet the Bishop
we know he will turn out to be a pedophile, because there is no way McIntosh
would leave an anti-Catholic stereotype on the table.
You
would have found more openness and less demonizing of conflicting points of
view during a typical Maoist Cultural Revolution re-education session. It is
pretty clear if you are not ready to abandon the Catholic Church (or really any
Christian denomination) McIntosh and company think you are a bad person, so go
hang your head in shame (after voting the way they tell you to). Not
recommended—because it’s not really a movie, it’s a diatribe—Darlin’ opens this Friday (7/12) in
select theaters.
