I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve had a film come out where most of the discussion about it during its promotion period was overwhelmed by behind-the-scenes drama that’s been covered by gossip magazines and internet weirdos with too much free time on their hands. I’m still not sure how much of it is even legit. I think that takes away from actual, more meaningful discussions that can come from a film like this, which – not to let the cat out of the bag this early – wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be, but I still think it’s an interesting and engaging film that is worth exploring.
The setup in Katie Silberman’s screenplay is pretty straightforward. We are in a small community in an unspecified location in an American desert, it looks like a 1950s paradise. Beautiful homes, equally beautiful housewives who do everything they can to serve their husbands while they work for the mysterious “Victory Project,” which no one knows anything about. However, one of them, Alice Chambers (Florence Pugh), begins to experience some strange things that indicate things might not be what they seem in paradise, and her husband, Jack (Harry Styles), may or may not be in the know of what’s truly going on.
It’s hard to get into more detail because there is quite a bit to spoil. Admittedly, it is not hard whatsoever to figure out what the big reveal is. In fact, the film itself seems to make it pretty clear early on that this paradise isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, which leads to some of the issues that the film has. It doesn’t allow much time for you to buy into the idea of this community potentially being legit, it’s obvious that nefarious things are at hand early on, and as a result, the mystery becomes repetitive for a good chunk of the film, with little new information being revealed in each beat until suddenly all the answers are delivered in the third act where the film rushes to the finish line, when it would have been more satisfying if it had taken its time.
I enjoyed Booksmart quite a bit, mostly because I thought it was a very funny film, and I can forgive a lot if a film makes me laugh. But as I mentioned in the review, it does have a very upper-middle class perspective, and a very white one as well. That is all over Don’t Worry Darling, which is going for a feminist commentary, but it doesn’t feel like a particularly inclusive one. To put it less elegantly, it has a very “white feminist” vibe. There’s only a couple women-of-color in this story (Gemma Chan and KiKi Layne) who have a somewhat active role, and even that’s a more forgiving look. One of mostly used as a plot device to motivate and further the story of our lead, while the other is mostly just there, and by the time we get some complexity, the film is over.
It’s not that the film has to be “about race,” but it is very odd to not consider the optics, and to not consider how this supposed 50s idyllic nuclear family is an image that often excludes people-of-color. Not factoring in that, even as a background, to everything this film is trying to explore feels like a missed opportunity at best, and at worst, flat out irresponsible, especially given how the two women-of-color are treated by the story. It just further gives you the feeling that the filmmakers didn’t fully think out these ideas in a more clear and cohesive way, or give thought to how they might come across in the finished film.
Also, there’s just the weird and confusing stuff that is rooted in the film’s big reveal. While I was able to call the twist early, I didn’t imagine the explanation to be as convoluted as it was, incorporating more sci-fi elements that I don’t think really belonged here. And without giving anything away, it is also one of those situations where as the film reveals more, it makes you come up with even more questions about things that either don’t fully add up, don’t make any sense whatsoever, or plot elements that are left weirdly open ended.
In terms of performances, Pugh can deliver on a role like this in her sleep at this point, but she is clearly giving it her all here, digging into the paranoia and the gaslighting that her character experiences. It’s easy to get invested in her journey. It’s truly spectacular. Styles is fine, but a little flat on occasion. Chris Pine as the almost cult-like leader of the Victory Project, Frank, is really compelling. He has a slick yet uneasy sense of confidence that keeps you on your toes. Folks like Chan, Layne, Nick Kroll, Sydney Chandler, Kate Berlant, Asif Ali, and Timothy Simons do solid enough work, even if there isn’t a lot for their characters on paper. Curiously enough, only Olivia Wilde’s character had a semblance of a well-defined personality.
While it might seem like I hate the film, I actually don’t, not for the most part. It helps that the film is a really gorgeous and lavish production. The sets, costumes, the period details are all terrific and lively. The cinematography from Matthew Libatique and editing from Affonso Gonçalves give the film a dreamy quality that lulls you into a rhythm that is simultaneously exuberant, yet intoxicating. John Powell’s is eerie, and does some interesting things with vocal noises. And hats off to the people who worked on the sound because the sound design behind a number of moments here genuinely got under my skin.
A lot of the filmmaking qualities behind Don’t Worry Darling are so admirable enough, that just through the sheer force of will from Olivia Wilde’s direction and Florence Pugh’s visceral performance. It’s a perfectly serviceable and watchable thriller, but if you’re looking at this for anything coherently meaningful and thematically resonant, I don’t think you’ll find that. Which is unfortunate, Wilde is taking a big swing, and I will always admire those, and I’m certainly glad I got to experience this on a big screen. It plays like something that was made to be seen big and loud. And it’s also not too often we get movies like this, a genre film, not based on IP, given a modest but sizable budget, with big stars and a female talent behind the camera. While this doesn’t convince me Wilde is some new auteur, I think it’s cool that she was given the resources to go big and weird, and while it doesn’t really pay off in the end, I didn’t have a bad time during the ride.
Don’t Worry Darling is now out in theaters.