Even before release, Don’t Worry Darling has been quite the topic for many reasons – and not always for the better. Pay gap rumours, alleged relationship drama between Olivia Wilde, her ex-husband, and Harry Styles, bad blood between actors… but all of that has already been discussed. Let’s give the project the benefit of the doubt and explore the film as a detached work on its own, critically. I have a lot to say, but I will be focusing primarily on the supposed feminist undertone, the cinematography of the psychological thriller genre and the loose ends that I personally (along with many other reviewers) was left unsatisfied with.
First, the feminism. It confuses me. As we find out at the end of the film, Jack felt increasingly uneasy about the reversed power dynamic his and Alice’s relationship developed, after he lost his job, and she became the sole breadwinner. Her being exhausted from working thirty-hour shifts and thus not cooking or spending time with him left him bitter enough to apply to be on the Victory Project, drugging and stripping her of any autonomy just to assert his dominance by making her into a 50s housewife, along with many other men. This was to be the “problem” the women were supposed to overcome as feminists – men holding collective power over them. Except, the men weren’t really in control. Frank was. Until he met his match in Alice – the only character who shared the same close-up shot during the confrontational dinner scene as they sat opposite each other. And yet, to me, the feminism didn’t come across. Other than not knowing where their husbands worked, the women lived well, were respected, and essentially just held parties every evening. Arguably, Alice herself was more disrespected by Jack in real life than in Victory; in real life, he was expecting her to cook dinner after shifts, in Victory, he did it himself when she couldn’t. The overall narrative was of an individual against the system, not of a woman against the patriarchy.
Now, let’s look at the way the film became more and more unsettling. This was done extremely well, and I would say the film definitely lives up to the expectation of a psychological thriller; it utilised creative graphics (the synchronised dancers), original sound effects and typical horror movie cliches, but with a different purpose. What tied it together was Alice’s humming of the tune that, in the end, frees her from this life. It was the only part of her subconscious that connected her to her real self, and it was what created a lot of the suspense when she was trying to make sense of what was happening. The growing sense of impending doom is commonplace in this genre, but what sets Don’t Worry Darling apart was that there was no jump-scare to resolve that suspense; you remained tense even after the music subsided, and arguably joined the protagonist in becoming increasingly paranoid. This was only made more effective with the use of mirrors, which are, again, used very frequently in thrillers. Here, they allowed for the separation of the virtual and the true realities. Margaret breaking the mirror in ballet class, Alice’s reflection remaining as she dipped into the bath – all of this played into the associations of the viewers of this genre that mirrors in a scene = something is about to happen. The only disappointment I felt was when my initial theory that, as the film went on and Frank’s perfectly ordered world tended to chaos, the synchronised dancers (as the symbol of unity) would also tend to chaos, didn’t prove true.
Now, onto the bulk, unfortunately, of the review. The loose ends:
- What was the symbolism of the plane for both Margaret and Alice? Was it flown in the simulation, or was it a glitch? Was it just their subconsciousness hearing something in the real world and transcribing onto the simulation? Was it Shelley directing them to the exit? We don’t know – it’s just a plot crutch.
- The first time Alice touched headquarters and it went red – what happened? Did she get back to her body, was she dragged away? Quite important, considering that, if it was the former, the film could have been over in the first forty-five minutes.
- When new women join (let’s use Violet as an example), what are they thinking? Did their memory get erased, do they remember where they’re originally from? What is their perception of their lives before Victory?
- If Frank hates women succeeding enough to create an entire community, why does he respect his wife so much? Or, at least enough to give an entire speech as to why the women’s role is vital, and why Shelley is so wonderful. That part of his character isn’t consistent – probably because we don’t have any of his backstory to base opinions off.
- On the topic of Shelley, please explain to me what her killing Frank at the end of the film achieves. It just happens, she says ‘it’s my turn now’ and we blissfully move on.
- Bunny. If she’s in the simulation to maintain the illusion that her children are still alive, why does she never spend time with them? It’s even made into a point that Alice is closer with them. If you argue that it’s because she knows they’re virtual, then why is she still in the simulation if she doesn’t even believe it? A missed opportunity of character development if you ask me.
And finally:
- The earthquakes add nothing to the plot.
Overall, I found the film a beautiful visual experience, but one without a strong narrative or a particularly resolved plot. If you want to see phenomenal acting from Florence Pugh and Chris Pine – watch the film. However, if you’d like a carefully structured story and tangible, multidimensional characters – don’t waste your money.
