Don’t Worry Darling: A Movie Review
Don’t Worry Darling is starting off the Oscar movie season with its release on September 23rd.
Don’t Worry Darling is starting off the Oscar movie season with its release on September 23rd.
The film is directed by Olivia Wilde, who is best known for her directorial work on the highly regarded movie Booksmart. Don’t Worry Darling showcases note-worthy performances by a star-studded cast that includes Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, Harry Styles, and more. The psychological thriller is set in an idyllic, yet self-contained 1950s town, which serves as the setting for the main characters' descent toward madness. The immense attention the movie has received thus far has many wondering if the movie itself warrants all the anticipation currently building up around it.
The movie follows the main character Alice, a 1950s housewife who happily moves to Victory, California in support of her husband’s new career move. The company town embraces pleasure and bliss, and they both feel content with their decision to relocate. However, after an accidental visit to the outskirts of Victory, Alice discovers the town is surrounded by a glossy, intact cover. The perfect facade fades when she realizes she is trapped within a perfect society. As Alice’s incessant questions are met with derision from her husband, the audience is left to decipher whether this is a housewives’ lapse into insanity or her uncovering the secrets of the town.
It starts early with the thrills – small and subtle indications that something is very wrong, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats. The movie is accompanied by beautiful cinematography and a well built-in world that introduces themes of feminism, autonomy, and conformity. In the film, Alice struggles to convince her husband Jack that these occurrences are not merely her mind’s invention. A devoted husband, whose sole intentions seem to work towards his wife’s happiness, strangely diverts from bringing any comfort to her once she insists that Victory is not what it seems. In the film, Alice begs Jack to believe her, stating, “Everyone is
acting like I'm crazy. And I'm not crazy.” Pugh delivers a distressing performance as tears stream down her face, her voice coming across as raw from all the unheeded crying. This incredibly powerful scene is relatable to women who have had to constantly explain their concerns and fears, only for them to be dismissed by “well-meaning” men. The film is true to the genre of psychological thriller as it utilizes quick, half-second clips that you would miss if you weren’t paying full attention. Although the plot twist was hinted at throughout the film, I greatly enjoyed it despite its predictability. It was a great watch, a solid movie that never lost its pace. The film is not a 5 out of 5. Some ideas were not fully developed, with stabs at certain themes that lacked proper exploration.
The film definitely had something compelling to say but diminished the force of its message by leading its viewers astray. Nonetheless, it is rare to have a big-picture film written and directed by a woman, including many female voices behind the scenes. Contrary to the mainstream attempts to depict women’s struggles, which are often read as unimaginative trauma porn, psychological thrillers can be a very hit-or-miss genre when there is a female main character. I always imagine a writing room of men listing out the most traumatizing things that happen to women, and then thinking, “Let's put all of these things together in a film and have them happen to one individual.” However, Don’t Worry Darling was never portrayed in this light because of the women working on the film’s development throughout production. I highly recommend checking out Don’t Worry Darling. Although many people may disagree with this review, one cannot deny that this movie touches on important issues that are still relevant to us.
My score: 3.5/5
Claire Hoxie — October 6th, 2022
