Spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned!
There was a lot of talk surrounding Don’t Worry Darling’s release last year because of the drama attached to it. From the alleged feud between director Olivia Wilde and lead actress Florence Pugh to Harry Styles and Chris Pines’ Spitgate incident, the film’s arrival was plagued by an abundance of controversy.
Originally announced in the summer of 2020, Don’t Worry Darling follows newlyweds Jack and Alice Chambers in the 1950s. Alice is a stay-at-home wife who enjoys the traditional domestic lifestyle of cooking for her husband and drinking wine with her girlfriends. In the city, Jack and the other husbands work tirelessly on the “Victory Project,” an experimental undertaking founded by Frank (Chris Pine). Although Alice initially feels as though she’s living in an idyllic paradise, she soon realizes that something is hidden beneath the surface.
It was at the apex of the COVID-19 pandemic that Harry Styles was first rumoured to be cast as Jack Chambers. As a huge Styles fan, I immediately became engrossed and looked forward to its release two years later. I was thrilled to see him on screen again and watch him grow into even more of an icon (EGOT pending).
After reading the original screenplay, I was psyched to watch it all unfold on the big screen. I’m a massive fan of psychological thrillers, from Florence Pugh’s Midsommar to Jim Carrey’s The Truman Show, so this seemed right up my alley.
After a long wait, I sat in the crowded audience on opening night, eager to watch the production, which Styles eloquently described as a “movie that feels like a movie.” Yeah, maybe he should stick to the scripts.
Overall, I thought the film had a great premise and held my attention throughout. The female characters were great at playing ignorant, doe-eyed citizens, whereas their male counterparts were rather suspicious and domineering. Florence Pugh and Chris Pine, in particular, delivered stellar performances that completely immersed me in the story.
Pugh was compelling in her quest for truth and freedom, while Pine was menacing with his schemes. Despite all the harsh criticism, I thought Styles wasn’t actually all that bad, either. I found some of his scenes to be a little flat and lacking in depth, but at least he made me giggle in my seat (it was the car scene, I’m sorry).
The movie started a little unclear, oftentimes leaving viewers unsure of what would happen next, but that added to the intrigue of it all. The real-world plot twist of Styles’ character being a Discord dude was the real horror, but such an interesting concept brought to life.
The makeup department definitely deserves credit for making Styles look slimy in a way I never expected. Although Jack appears to be a charismatic, loving husband, we learn that he’s actually an American homebody who controls and uproots Alice’s life through a simulation.
The movie explores Alice’s revelation of this alternate reality as she begins to raise questions surrounding nearly every aspect of her life. After discovering that her husband, girlfriends, community and entire life are all lies, she sets out on a mission to escape whatever hellscape she’s trapped in. After a valiant struggle, she’s eventually able to escape as the screen goes black, and a gasp signals her awakening back in reality.
I initially scored Don’t Worry Darling an 8.5 out of 10 due to my tendency to heighten my ratings after seeing movies in theatres, but I gave it a 7.75 after further consideration. While I appreciated the film’s screenplay, acting, cinematography and music, certain elements were just disappointing. Similar to my review of Euphoria, there were just too many questions left unanswered.
I would have liked to see more of what happened in the real world. After waking up, what did Alice do? What did she do about Jack sleeping right next to her? Where was Alice’s family all this time? How was she properly nourished? What happened to Margaret? What about the other women? How did Frank start the Victory Project?
There’s a fine line between foreshadowing and plot holes, and unfortunately, the latter outweighed the former in this case.