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DON’T WORRY DARLING (2022)

Starring Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, Chris Pine, Sydney Chandler, Kate Berlant, Asif Ali, Douglas Smith, Timothy Simons, Ari'el Stachel, Dita Von Teese, Sagar Sujata, Marcello Julian Reyes, Mariah Justice, Kaleigh Krause, Monroe Cline, Wylie Quinn Anderson, Roberta Sparta, Natasha Kalimada and Elijah Van Zanten.

Screenplay by Katie Silberman.

Directed by Olivia Wilde.

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. 123 minutes. Rated R.

What could go wrong for people living in such a perfect place, with such perfect lives like these?

Set in Victory, California in the 1950s, Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling unravels from a Pleasantville-esque ambiance to extremely unhinged, extremely quickly. Wilde’s distinct directing style accompanied by the talents of Florence Pugh (Alice), Harry Styles (Jack), Chris Pine (Frank), Gemma Chan (Shelley), Sydney Chandler (Violet), Nick Kroll (Dean), and so many more meshed well together to create a thrilling, yet captivating film. Don’t Worry Darling is far from the seemingly “1950s housewife” fantasy introduced at its commencement.

While the film is filled to the brim with an astounding cast, I was curious to see how the vastly diverse group would come together. Much to my surprise, this made the film all that much better.

Florence Pugh plays housewife Alice Chambers, alongside Harry Styles as Jack Chambers, her husband. The pair seem very happy together, fueled by passion and intimacy.

All of Victory’s inhabitants follow the same schedule, the men heading off to work at the same time each morning, their cars speeding off in a row as the housewives wave goodbye on the same spots on the lawn of their cookie-cutter homes. The men spend all day in a maximum-security workplace called the “Victory Project.”

Members of the project are sworn to secrecy, from each other and even their wives. In return for their discretion and loyalty, the men are granted well-paying jobs, luxurious houses, and assured safety. No one questioned their perfect lives in the secluded, safe town until Alice begins to notice strange similarities between each of the couples’ lives and has disturbing delusions, leading her to mistrust the place she calls home, including her husband.

I can typically feel the time tick on when movies are over two hours, but not with this one. There wasn’t a moment in this film when I wasn’t on the edge of my seat. The consistent and abrupt twists and turns in the storyline sent me on a rollercoaster of emotions, leaving me in shock once the credits began rolling.

What drew me in most was not only the alluring storyline but the incredible cinematography. The contrast between the shots of dazzling landscapes, aesthetically pleasing retro homes, and an upbeat and nostalgic soundtrack from the disturbing nature of the film is one of the biggest factors that makes Don’t Worry Darling the knockout that it is.

Many psychological thrillers rely solely on gore, and jump scares, sprinkled with a twist here and there, but not this film. The disorientation, mental and emotional whiplash, and pure shock of what unfolded before my eyes left me perplexed, but amazed.

Another aspect that makes Don’t Worry Darling all the more worthwhile to see, is that you’re left questioning not the story itself, but aspects of yourself. While the conclusion is predictable, the journey there is nothing that anyone could expect. I was, in fact, worried.

Any negative reviews of this film missed the mark. Wilde knew what she was doing with this film and will leave the world shocked once they get to witness it for themselves.

Kayla Marra

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