Don't Worry Darling - A Bizarre Take On A Classic Idea
DescriptionA review of Don't Worry Darling that takes a deep dive into the idea of living in a perfect world.
MessageWe recommend watching Don't Worry Darling to form your own opinions about the movie.
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Warner Bros.IntroductionOn September 23, 2022, Don't Worry Darling was released into theaters, with a mountain of drama surrounding it and high expectations for this new thriller by director Olivia Wilde (Booksmart, Tron Legacy). It stars Florence Pugh, known for her roles in Midsommar and Black Widow, with Harry Styles (yes, that Harry Styles), alongside characters played by Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, and of course, Olivia Wilde herself. So, with that out of the way, what exactly is this film about? Well, that's hard to say, but I'll attempt to sum it up below.
OverviewIn an "idealistic" 1950s world, Alice (Pugh) and Jack (Styles) live in Victory, an experimental company town in the middle of the desert that houses the men who work on a top-secret project while their wives toil away at home, left to wonder what their husbands do and why exactly they are there. Everything seems perfect, almost too perfect, and soon, some catch on. One of the wives, Margaret, begins to see things and hum a certain tune, as to which Alice overhears. Suddenly, she starts to see these same images: dancers, women smiling, eyes, a drop of blood. None of it seems to make sense to either of them, but only one was drawn to death, as Margaret kills herself after being called crazy and losing her child. Alice witnesses this suicide, along with seeing a team of men in red suits take the body away unexpectedly, and she begins to go insane as well. Everyone around her tells her that Margaret is fine, that she just fell during cleaning; but she knows the truth, and suspects that maybe her utopian home is not what it seems. Everyone wants to ignore her worries, ignore the fact that Margaret really died, and this sends her into a spiral, as she begins to question her husband, Jack, wanting to know what Victory actually is and what his company does. He neglects to answer, instead letting her be captured by the same red-suited men, who take her to get her mind wiped. And this is where the story gets interesting, as we are soon greeted with the whole backstory of the town. It turns out to be some form of virtual world, where almost brainwashed volunteers bring themselves and their partners (willingly or not) into it, living out the perfect life with them. Turns out, Alice's husband Jack drugged her in the real world and put this device on her, transporting her to the Victory. Then, he himself put it on and joined about a dozen others in this experiment, one in which they live out their utopian lives in a seemingly real town. Basically, the entire movie takes place in a fake world (which is not surprising), and everything that Margeret and Alice saw was just them trying to wake up/seeing the brainwashing in real-time. Mind-blowing, right? The film ends rather ambiguously, though, as Alice manages to run towards the "Headquarters," which turns out to be some portal back to the real world, and concludes with a black screen and the words Don't Worry Darling being displayed, singling the movie's finish.
I know that was quite a long description, but trust me, there is so much more. This is a long and complicated project by Wilde, and there are many layers to it. First, the acting needs to be mentioned, as Pugh puts out an amazing performance, really embodying the character of Alice and portraying raw emotion in every scene. Another fantastic casting was with Chris Pine, who actually played the man behind the Victory Project, Frank. He was the architect for the town, and played perfectly as the charismatic and intelligent CEO of the mysterious company behind it all. Lastly, and this one may be surprising to some, but Styles did a decent job for his first big acting role. Now yes, he was in Dunkirk and Eternals, but this film tested him much harder, and he succeeded in many ways. Sometimes his accent was a bit strange, and sure, I did laugh when he was screaming at Alice just due to how offputting it was, but overall, I really believed in his portrayal, and that will be helpful in enjoying this picture. But that is not the focus of this article, it is on something bigger in this movie, something more fundamental. Something truly special.
UtopiaSociety has always had a fixation on perfection, on living in an ideal world. And obviously, Don't Worry Darling is no different, taking a new twist on this old concept. Entertainment is no stranger to taking our biggest desires and putting them to the test, helping us realize that true perfection comes at a cost. This is on full display here, as the price of it comes down to sacrificing your real life for a fake one. So what's better, being stuck in a perfect virtual world for the rest of your life or taking the highs and lows of the real one? That is something many have explored, like The Truman Show, where we are meant to wonder if sacrificing utopia for the sake of happiness is a good thing. Luckily, the answer to both movies is no, as Alice and Truman escape their perfect hell for the betterment of their lives. But is that always true; do you agree? Would you love to live a perfect life? It's hard to say, I understand, but this movie really wants you to look it in the eye and realize that the imperfections of the world are what make the best parts of it better; are what make us happy. Because what is happiness without sadness, what is healing without pain? Nothing, nothing at all. The ultimate lesson is to enjoy life, because too much of a good thing is almost always a bad thing. Make the best of what you have, of what we have, good or bad, because DWD is a clear warning sign of what's to come if we don't.
ConclusionAt the end of the day, Olivia Wilde's newest film delves into something basic, something known, but helps bring a modern and rather unique spin on it. As I've said, it is comparable to many works before it, like The Truman Show, as to which we have an article on, but also sticks out on its own, making a name for itself. Truly, it is a bizarre take on a classic idea, and that should make it even more intriguing, even more fascinating, than it ever was before.
OverviewIn an "idealistic" 1950s world, Alice (Pugh) and Jack (Styles) live in Victory, an experimental company town in the middle of the desert that houses the men who work on a top-secret project while their wives toil away at home, left to wonder what their husbands do and why exactly they are there. Everything seems perfect, almost too perfect, and soon, some catch on. One of the wives, Margaret, begins to see things and hum a certain tune, as to which Alice overhears. Suddenly, she starts to see these same images: dancers, women smiling, eyes, a drop of blood. None of it seems to make sense to either of them, but only one was drawn to death, as Margaret kills herself after being called crazy and losing her child. Alice witnesses this suicide, along with seeing a team of men in red suits take the body away unexpectedly, and she begins to go insane as well. Everyone around her tells her that Margaret is fine, that she just fell during cleaning; but she knows the truth, and suspects that maybe her utopian home is not what it seems. Everyone wants to ignore her worries, ignore the fact that Margaret really died, and this sends her into a spiral, as she begins to question her husband, Jack, wanting to know what Victory actually is and what his company does. He neglects to answer, instead letting her be captured by the same red-suited men, who take her to get her mind wiped. And this is where the story gets interesting, as we are soon greeted with the whole backstory of the town. It turns out to be some form of virtual world, where almost brainwashed volunteers bring themselves and their partners (willingly or not) into it, living out the perfect life with them. Turns out, Alice's husband Jack drugged her in the real world and put this device on her, transporting her to the Victory. Then, he himself put it on and joined about a dozen others in this experiment, one in which they live out their utopian lives in a seemingly real town. Basically, the entire movie takes place in a fake world (which is not surprising), and everything that Margeret and Alice saw was just them trying to wake up/seeing the brainwashing in real-time. Mind-blowing, right? The film ends rather ambiguously, though, as Alice manages to run towards the "Headquarters," which turns out to be some portal back to the real world, and concludes with a black screen and the words Don't Worry Darling being displayed, singling the movie's finish.
I know that was quite a long description, but trust me, there is so much more. This is a long and complicated project by Wilde, and there are many layers to it. First, the acting needs to be mentioned, as Pugh puts out an amazing performance, really embodying the character of Alice and portraying raw emotion in every scene. Another fantastic casting was with Chris Pine, who actually played the man behind the Victory Project, Frank. He was the architect for the town, and played perfectly as the charismatic and intelligent CEO of the mysterious company behind it all. Lastly, and this one may be surprising to some, but Styles did a decent job for his first big acting role. Now yes, he was in Dunkirk and Eternals, but this film tested him much harder, and he succeeded in many ways. Sometimes his accent was a bit strange, and sure, I did laugh when he was screaming at Alice just due to how offputting it was, but overall, I really believed in his portrayal, and that will be helpful in enjoying this picture. But that is not the focus of this article, it is on something bigger in this movie, something more fundamental. Something truly special.
UtopiaSociety has always had a fixation on perfection, on living in an ideal world. And obviously, Don't Worry Darling is no different, taking a new twist on this old concept. Entertainment is no stranger to taking our biggest desires and putting them to the test, helping us realize that true perfection comes at a cost. This is on full display here, as the price of it comes down to sacrificing your real life for a fake one. So what's better, being stuck in a perfect virtual world for the rest of your life or taking the highs and lows of the real one? That is something many have explored, like The Truman Show, where we are meant to wonder if sacrificing utopia for the sake of happiness is a good thing. Luckily, the answer to both movies is no, as Alice and Truman escape their perfect hell for the betterment of their lives. But is that always true; do you agree? Would you love to live a perfect life? It's hard to say, I understand, but this movie really wants you to look it in the eye and realize that the imperfections of the world are what make the best parts of it better; are what make us happy. Because what is happiness without sadness, what is healing without pain? Nothing, nothing at all. The ultimate lesson is to enjoy life, because too much of a good thing is almost always a bad thing. Make the best of what you have, of what we have, good or bad, because DWD is a clear warning sign of what's to come if we don't.
ConclusionAt the end of the day, Olivia Wilde's newest film delves into something basic, something known, but helps bring a modern and rather unique spin on it. As I've said, it is comparable to many works before it, like The Truman Show, as to which we have an article on, but also sticks out on its own, making a name for itself. Truly, it is a bizarre take on a classic idea, and that should make it even more intriguing, even more fascinating, than it ever was before.
Sources“Don't Worry Darling.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Worry_Darling. Accessed 3 October 2022.Pugh's, Florence. “Don't Worry Darling.” Rotten Tomatoes, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dont_worry_darling. Accessed 3 October 2022.
