I, like most people right now, am enamoured by Harry Styles. Initially, the concept of Don’t Worry Darling is not something I would have chosen to watch if Harry wasn’t in it – I’m not a huge fan of thrillers and the trailer didn’t really draw me in. The mixed reviews online and the controversies surrounding the cast made me wonder whether the film would be worth the watch. I had not done any digging into the plot before I watched it and didn’t really know what to expect – luckily, it did not disappoint, and I was on the edge of my seat for pretty much the entire duration.
Aesthetically, I loved the cinematography of the film, especially the use of bright colours in the cars, parties and clothes. These cemented the idea that Jack and Alice lived in a picture-perfect neighbourhood that was almost too good to be true. The idyllic synchronisation of the neighbourhood throughout the film was the perfect contrast to the dark and sinister themes that Wilde attempted to portray. It was fast paced and shot in a way that made the audience feel submersed in the action.
Visuals aside, I was quite confused during the film. This was especially in the first half when very little in terms of plot seemed to be happening. Every revelation seemed to explain something multiple scenes prior, leaving the film feeling quite disjointed and muddled. The Truman Show-esque theme that underpinned the movie had the potential to create an interesting sub-plot, however it was lacking an explanation. We were left with more questions than answers in regards to the mechanics of the world Jack and Alice lived in.
Unfortunately, some of the concepts were not entirely original. This was most clear in the striking parallels to Orwell’s 1984 – Jack and Alice’s town was called ‘Victory’, as was the brand of their food and drink, and the protagonist embarked on a desperate quest to uncover the truth about the seemingly perfectly controlled environment in which they lived. Personally, I think this had the potential to be explored in a bit more detail but Wilde slightly underdelivered here.
For me, Florence Pugh’s captivating portrayal of Alice was the real showstopper. I spent half of the film torn between whether I wanted to be her or be married to her. She perfectly embodied the archetypal 1950s housewife, living out my personal dream of cooking and caring for Harry Styles. We discovered what was going on in real time along with Alice, which enabled me to empathise with her situation and share her confusion as she slipped closer towards insanity. She truly carried the film and her performance had me simultaneously glued to the screen and desperate to look away in horror.
Considering the majority of the online criticism of Don’t Worry Darling focuses on Styles’ performance, I was pleasantly surprised. Don’t get me wrong, he is no natural actor, and he definitely lacked depth when performing the more emotion-rich scenes. However, for his first major role in a movie I think he has been unfairly judged from a few clips circulating on TikTok, and his portrayal of Jack was enjoyable and easy to watch.
Even though I spent the first half of the film absolutely baffled as to what was happening, I thoroughly enjoyed Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling. Some of its key themes weren’t anything new, however, in Harry’s words, “it felt like a movie”, and I think that Florence Pugh’s acting especially made for excellent viewing. If you don’t like thrillers or only want to watch to see Harry Styles, this may not be the film for you, but if you fancy a trip to the cinema or a movie night in, then Don’t Worry Darling is definitely worth watching.