Being only the second movie directed by Olivia Wilde, “Don’t Worry Darling” received very mixed reviews and critiques from the media. The film is a thrilling mystery, which follows Florence Pugh, as Alice Chambers, living as a 1950s housewife with her husband Jack Chambers, played by Harry Styles. The couple lives in the picturesque utopian town called Victory. Life in this town appears perfect, but it becomes apparent that this is not the case as strange things begin to happen and secrets come to light. The movie presents a very interesting and prevalent overarching message; however, I was left very confused and with many unanswered questions upon finishing the movie. 

Primarily, “Don’t Worry Darling” sends an interesting message critiquing patriarchal society. The women in this community work all day to make everything perfect for their husbands, and the husbands leave home every morning to work at a company called The Victory Project. The work at The Victory Project is very mysterious and secretive, and the wives are not allowed to know anything about it. The movie ends in an interesting plot twist, and the message ultimately criticizes their society. I liked the visuals in the film, and I thought they were very satisfying and contributed to the overall mood of the movie. 

The appearance of the community with all identical houses, the bright colors, constant sunshine, and repeated circular shapes make the community look both repetitive and a little too perfect. The use of the color red contributes to adding a sinister feeling to the atmosphere. The characters and acting were another aspect of this movie that I really enjoyed, specifically Pugh’s performance. She portrays Alice’s emotions well, which makes it easy to get invested in her character. Alice’s consistent fear, confusion, and anger is very well shown, and the viewer is able to relate to these emotions. 

Another actor’s performance that was really impressive was Chris Pine. He played Frank, the leader of the Victory community. He creates an eerie atmosphere, and has a very powerful presence on screen. I did like the plot overall as well; I thought the concept was very alluring, and the suspense builds well as the movie goes on. From the very beginning of the movie, I was sucked in and invested in the strangeness of the plot. 

On the other hand, despite liking the built up suspense in this movie, I was left underwhelmed by the ending. While watching the movie I had a lot of questions and confusion, which I expected to be answered at the end. Instead of getting answers to my questions, I was left unsatisfied and with even more confusion. There were a lot of plot holes, which made the suspense of the movie and twist ending feel underdeveloped rather than mysterious. 

Overall, “Don’t Worry Darling” is an entertaining movie with a unique and creative plot, but the ending comes up short. If you are looking for a good new movie to watch I would recommend that you still give this movie a shot, especially if you like dystopian or thriller movies. 

3.5 paws