The drama surrounding Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling (2022) release prepared me for a masterpiece or a dumpster fire. Much to my disappointment, the film landed somewhere in the middle. It offered legitimate conversation starters but came up short of any kind of resolution, clear plot, or refined idea. In the following review, I dive deeper into the criticisms I have for the film, but I would like to note that this is Wilde’s second film. Unfortunately, the missteps she took as a growing director were overshadowed by the public relations nightmare that swallowed this film. 

Drama aside, my immediate reaction was Mad Men (2007-2015) and Get Out (2017) had a baby. The 1950s backdrop and horror mind traps made for an intriguing concept. Upon being introduced to the experimental community, Victory Village, the first and second acts drag us through housewife Alice’s (Florence Pugh) unraveling world. She cooks, cleans, and dresses beautifully for her breadwinning husband, Jack (Harry Styles), who disappears to work daily along with every other husband in the community. The entire situation is secretive and mysterious, but Alice and the other wives are expected to look pretty, keep house and not ask any questions (a familiar situation for mid-1900s American housewives). The third act went absolutely wild as we learn that not only is the a virtual reality from hell, but Jack had been lying to Alice the entire time. When Alice tries to escape, the final car chase makes the film go from thriller horror to Fast and Furious.

Pugh radiated as the leading lady with a powerful and emotional performance. Across from her, Styles offered an underwhelming performance, proving that he makes a better pop star than an actor. (Sorry, Harry.) The one thing he was good for was the financial success of the film, which I will touch on later. The supporting cast, including Wilde herself, Chris Pine, Kiki Layne, Gemma Chan, and Nick Kroll, had some moments of greatness, but overall, the script and their screen time weren’t strong enough for anyone to shine. The only scene in the film that offers real, juicy chemistry is when Alice and cult leader, Frank (Pine), face off at a dinner party when Alice begins to poke holes in the backstories of all the couples. 

Matthew Libatique gifted us with stunning cinematography, and the costume and production design (by Arianne Phillips and Katie Byron) made the flawless experimental community nothing less than an artistic masterpiece. As strong as John Powell’s score was, Wilde went too heavy at times, distracting me from the already hard-to-follow story. Additionally, while the editing by Affonso Gonçalves complimented the concept, Alice’s visions felt repetitive and unmotivated. 

It’s worth discussing what Wilde may have been trying to achieve thematically. (If you haven’t seen the film, maybe skip this paragraph.) I have been very critical up to this point, but this film was ambitious in both story and theme. If this was supposed to be an uber-feminist film, it isn’t. I understand that Wilde and writers Katie Silberman, Carey Van Dyke, and Shane Van Dyke tried to go against the patriarchy, but they did too much. The film manages to touch on female pleasure, control of her body, representation of her body, and role reversal without ever fully fleshing out any of the ideas. First, the over-sexualized scenes (including that steamy scene with the dinner table) had nothing to do with female pleasure. Instead, are made voyeurs as sex is used to control the female body. Second, Kiki Layne being the only black woman in the film and the only female death in the film, took Wilde’s film back a few decades with black female representation. Third, Gemma Chan’s climactic line about it being “our turn” made me think the film was now calling for women to completely reverse the roles of men and women. But all of the points brought up in the film were unresolved when the film ended with Alice waking up off-screen. 

At times, I do like a cliffhanger ending, but I truly wish we had twenty extra minutes at the end of this film where we got to see more of the “real” world. If this was truly a film about female pleasure, I needed the pleasure of seeing all of these women escape the simulation. Instead, I am left with way too many questions to feel any sort of resolution. Wilde gave a strong effort, but overall, despite the film’s potential, she was overambitious.  

The financial success of this film is impressive. It made back its budget the first weekend, grossing around 20 million with a 66% female audience. I’m excited that so many women are visiting the theater, but I can’t help but wonder if the financial success is mostly due to Harry Styles’ fame. I have no doubt half of every audience seeing Don’t Worry Darling is a bigger fan of Styles than cinema. He may not be a perfect actor, but his fans, fame, and inclusion in the film’s drama made for quite the show out. 

Despite all the talent Wilde enlisted for her project, no one could save the confusing, half-refined plot of the two-hour film. You leave the film with more questions than answers and no clear idea of where Wilde was trying to go. However, with her use of modern technology against the backdrop of 1950s suburban life, Wilde does bring up some haunting points about how male dissatisfaction leads to dangerous situations for women. Unfortunately, all the potential and success in this film were overshadowed by the outside Hollywood drama, making this film hard to watch from a clear point of view. I’ll admit I was not bored during the entirety of the film, but right now, Wilde has left a sour taste in my mouth. I am hoping her next film reaches its full potential. 

Hear more about Don’t Worry Darling on Episode 006 of The Rolling Tape!

Review courtesy of Sara Ciplickas