Don't Worry Darling (2022) Review

It's about Alice and her husband who live in the idyllic, experimental company town Victory, until sinister occurences prompt Alice to question her reality.

Don't Worry Darling was directed by Olivia Wilde and stars Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Malevolent, and The Falling), Harry Styles, Chris Pine (Carriers), Olivia Wilde (The Lazarus Effect, Turistas), Gemma Chan (Exam), Kiki Layne, Nick Kroll, Kate Berlant, Asif Ali, and Timothy Simons (Goosebumps).

Florence Pugh stars in a new film about a community that seems perfect on the surface but is hiding some dark secrets. Pugh plays a homemaker in the 1950s who starts to realize that something is very wrong. Unfortunately, while the thriller has plenty of visual styles, it doesn't do a great job of building tension.

Don't Worry Darling opens with a look at Alice and Jack's happy marriage. The couple is content among their close friends, though they don't have any children. This occasionally surfaces as a topic among the other couples at the dinner party: Bunny and Bill and the perpetually pregnant Peg with her husband, Peter. The Victory Project is a mysterious company headed by the elusive Frank (Chris Pine). The women who live in the isolated town of Victory know nothing about their husbands' jobs within the company, but they are provided for if they follow a few essential rules. Alice is a small-town girl who has never left her home before. She's content living in her small town and doesn't feel the need to explore beyond it. However, she begins to notice cracks in her perfect reality, creating paranoia and making her question her idyllic way of life.

From the very beginning, it's clear that something is not right in the world of Victory. Even Margaret, who used to be part of the group, can sense it. She's been ostracized for her paranoid mutterings, but it's clear that she's on to something. Again, Wilde does an excellent job weaving in clues that something sinister is at work. In addition to Margaret, who is not convinced that Victory is up to anything good, there are also subliminal images, strange time lapses, and weird hallucinations that leave Alice questioning her reality. The walls seem to be closing in on Alice, and she starts to see things that shouldn't be there. She starts to look for answers, but it's difficult because no one else seems to believe her.

The author describes the events in the film as happening so rapidly that the protagonist, Alice, does not have much opportunity to react or develop emotionally. Alice is immediately placed in a state of high stress and anxiety due to her isolation and paranoia, and the script leaves her little chance to escape this emotional state. The movie's flat, obvious scares prevent real tension from taking hold, as viewers are given all the answers upfront. This makes for a long, tedious wait for the inevitable conclusion. When we finally get answers to our questions, they're often too superficial to be meaningful.

Despite a predictable narrative, Florence Pugh's engaging performance and Matthew Libatique's captivating cinematography create a compelling experience in Don't Worry Darling. Pugh maintains rooting interest despite a relatively flat arc, while Libatique's use of vibrant colors brings the film's emulated era to life. Don't Worry Darling looks excellent, but it doesn't have a strong story. The production design is impressive, and Wilde has a great eye for composition, but the narrative lacks.

Worth Watching? 

Victory's dark secrets are probably guessed just from the trailer; it's easy to predict. However, while the ending is unsatisfying mainly because of its predictability and lack of depth, Wilde at least succeeds in making the journey an aesthetically pleasing experience. Her infectious charm bolsters Pugh's inventive designs as she portrays yet another woman trapped in an unsupportive relationship. It's a dazzling affair while it lasts, but it's mostly forgettable.

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