Directed by Olivia Wilde
Starring Florence Pugh, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, Olivia Wilde, Chris Pine, Harry Styles
Don’t Worry Darling is a psychological thriller from actor/director Olivia Wilde, and follows on from Wilde’s critically successful debut, Booksmart (2019). Despite a media frenzy that seems adamant to discredit, or negatively impact, the movie, stepping into the film, there was an aura of suspicion – that the film would have bad acting, bad direction, and would ultimately be a flop – however, Don’t Worry Darling was a stylistic exploration that ended up being satisfying to watch.
If this movie didn’t have to combat Hollywood innuendo, this film would have premiered to rave reviews, and congratulated as a feminist masterpiece – not to say that is how this particular reviewer felt in the overall takeaway, but that in a landscape post-MeToo, self-aggrandising critics with surface level understanding would champion this work as such, under the right circumstances. Ultimately, when handed a carte-blanche excuse for misogyny, the audience and reception will take it – pitting female creatives against each other in the tabloids, and somehow praising the artistic delivery of male actors – such as Chris Pine and Harry Styles – who ultimately had very little (and frankly limited) impact in the overall storyline.
Don’t Worry Darling holds a very strong stylistic point of view, which creates a surrealistic and whimsical ambience, which only drives home the underlying suspense that the masterful soundscape illicits, partnered with the sweeping cinematography by Matthew Libatique (Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, mother!). Other parallels can be made towards Suspiria, The Stepford Wives, and Rosemary’s Baby, for those cinephiles interested in the visual mechanics of storytelling.
The dialogue is incredibly witty, and the casting choice by Wilde to bring in actors with comedic timing for most of the supporting cast – added brevity in moments that were awkward, suspenseful, or triggering. Don’t Worry Darling’s unexpected twist flips your pre-conceived notions of the storyline on its head, with some characterisations being described by Wilde as a plot around “… a pseudo-intellectual hero to the incel community.”
Some critics have said of Wilde’s interpretation of feminism as being shallow, when in truth it’s rather on the nose, in similar ways to The Shining, or A Clockwork Orange. Florence Pugh was phenomenal in this role, able to portray complex emotions in layers, and carried the film past some issues the production had. Outside of the infamous interviews with Harry Styles, and the “my favourite thing about the movie is that it feels like a movie” line – his acting is not distractingly bad, but overall palatable to watch.
When critics smell blood in the water, they go all in – which is evident with the broad spectrum of opinions surrounding this film (with specific interest in the press tour). Don’t Worry Darling is an entertaining allegory, a feast for the senses, and Wilde-ly entertaining at times. Some pitfalls include the casting of Harry Styles, as some fans in the audience would laugh during odd scenes which showed his performance. Don’t Worry Darling was hard to buy into towards the end, with a plot that ultimately did not pay off, and left you feeling cheated.
JOSHUA HALL HAINES
