At this point in time, you’ve probably heard at least something regarding the new psychological thriller: Don’t Worry Darling. Whether you’re a die-hard Harry Styles fan (like me), you adore Florence Pugh, or you’ve heard something about Harry spitting on Chris Pine – you’ve most likely seen some press about this up and coming film. Since I’m a big Harry Styles fan, I’ve been waiting for two years to see this movie. So, here’s my honest review, while trying my best to be as unbiased as possible.
DISCLAIMER: this is a spoiler-free review!
Without giving away the plot of the movie, Don’t Worry Darling is a psychological thriller set during the 1950s in California. Alice (Florence Pugh) and her husband, Jack (Harry Styles) live a peaceful life together with the other residents in their community, where the men go out to work at the headquarters everyday, and women stay home to cook and clean for their husbands. Everything is perfect, until Alice begins to see strange things going on in her once idyllic neighborhood…
Despite the backlash this movie received from film critics, I really felt like the plot kept me interested and on my toes. As the movie progressed, I stayed curious about the obscure things that Alice was seeing and why nobody else in the neighborhood saw it too. I didn’t feel bored and discerned that there was always something going on that was important to pay attention to. The suspension was real – I needed an explanation for all of the strange things that were happening to Alice. Every scene felt like there was something important that tied back to Alice and what she was experiencing. Plus, who wouldn’t want to see Harry Styles as Jack Chambers for 2 hours?
Since this film was marketed as a thriller/horror film, I went into the movie with the mindset that I would be scared and have to look away from the screen at certain times. But, I don’t think that this film accurately lives up to that expectation. Yes, there were some creepy moments, but nothing I saw was so terrifying that it kept me up at night. So, if you’re like me and don’t particularly enjoy horror movies but still want to see what the hype is about, don’t worry darling, because you’ve got nothing to be scared of! :)
ACTORS PERFORMANCES
Out of everyone in the cast, I think that Florence Pugh did the best job portraying her character. She is what kept the movie alive; between her various facial expressions of confusion, disgust, betrayal, and pleasure – she made me sympathize for Alice and also feel connected to her. This is not to undermine the performances of the other actors, but just to give Pugh the appreciation she deserves. Regarding Styles performance, he has received mixed reviews from everyone, whether they’re a real movie critic or simply a random Twitter user. I think his performance as Jack was done well. We all know and have to keep in mind that he’s a musician first, and he is still just in the beginning of exploring the acting field seriously. So even though there is room for improvement, that doesn’t mean he did a bad job. Specifically in some more intense scenes, viewers can tell he put a lot of his energy into truly portraying Jack. To quote the man himself, this movie proved that I indeed do “dig his cinema.”
MY CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
Director and actress of the film Olivia Wilde discussed lots of reasons that this movie “stood out” more than others – specifically regarding female pleasure. It seemed she felt a lot of pride in saying that “Men don’t come in this film…Only women here!”, but after watching the film, I don’t think the female pleasure perspective was accurately depicted and it did not live up to the expectation that Wilde had set. Yes, there were some “spicy scenes,” but nothing so unique that it isn’t seen in any other movies.
Regarding the plot, I don’t think the storyline was very original. There are a couple of other movies and TV shows (I won’t say which in case that gives away the movie) I thought of that reminded me of the film. Despite this, I was still entertained and felt the build up was written well. Without any spoilers, I think that the writers did a good job with showing enough of the weird things happening to Alice without giving a clear explanation of what truly was going on and who was behind it. So, if you’re contemplating seeing the film, I say it’s worth it – just don’t go with your parents! As a wise man once said, Don’t Worry Darling is a movie that feels like—you know, a movie. :)