Venice Review: ‘Don’t Worry Darling’
Don’t Worry Darling is an endlessly entertaining psychological thriller anchored by a powerful, electrifying performance from Florence Pugh.
Don’t Worry Darling, the latest film from actress and director Olivia Wilde, centers on Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles), a seemingly happy couple and residents of a peaceful utopian community led by the charismatic Frank (Chris Pine). One day, Alice happens upon what seems to be a mysterious plane crash on the outskirts of town. Desperate to help, she rushes to the scene of the crime, where she uncovers a dark and deadly secret that will change the course of her and Jack’s lives forever.
Written by Katie Silberman, who also wrote Wilde’s directorial debut Booksmart, Don’t Worry Darling is the type of endlessly entertaining, mid-budget psychological thriller that we don’t get much of these days. Featuring intense, visually-stunning and well-choreographed sequences, it is also well-directed, with Wilde upping the ante from her more conventional, less-stylized approach in Booksmart. Beneath its glossy, well-manicured sheen, however, Don’t Worry Darling also has a lot to say.
It is no secret that we live in a highly divided world. Although the concept of online forums and social media platforms that are designed to bring like-minded people together with the intent of stoking division and creating discord is not exactly a new one, there haven’t been many films that were interested in exploring this particular brand of political divide. Silberman and Wilde attempt to deconstruct the platforms and individuals (Wilde has namedropped controversial figure Jordan Peterson as inspiration for Pine’s character) that gave way to misogynistic movements such as Gamergate, asking incredibly important and relevant questions, such as, ‘What would happen if these movements evolved? What if they happened on a real-world scale rather than simply an online one?’ And while the results may be mixed – this plotline in particular is slightly underdeveloped and would have probably elevated the film had it been explored in depth – it sure makes for an interesting conversation starter, as well as a warning sign of things to come.
In terms of performances, almost each and every member of the film’s ensemble cast manages to bring something to the table. Wilde, directing herself as Bunny, a housewife and mother of 2, does not have a big part in the film, but she turns in a warm, endearing performance as Alice’s best friend who may have more to her than initially meets the eye. Chris Pine plays Frank, the leader of Victory, and while he may not have as much screentime as the film’s trailers may suggest, he imbues his performance with enough menacing charisma to convince audiences that his character could kickstart a movement.
KiKi Layne, as Alice’s acquantice and fellow housewife Margaret who undergoes a traumatic yet enlightening experience, is criminally underused. However, she lights up the screen whenever she appears, delivering a mesmerizing performance that kickstarts the film’s events. To discuss Harry Styles’ performance in the film would be to give away one of the film’s secrets but Styles delivers an intense, haunting performance that only heightens as his carefully constructed facade begins to crack. His performance (and the accent) absolutely makes sense in the context of the film, presenting him in an entirely new light, one that will surely surprise many of his diehard fans.
And then there’s Florence Pugh. She is in almost every frame, every second, of the film and she is by far the best thing about it. A phenomenal actress who has been going from strength to strength in her young yet already prolific career, this is her best performance to date. An electrifying, incredibly vivid performance, she perfectly encapsulates the fear, desperation and ultimately resilience of a woman caught in an unfortunate predicament against her will. As both the film and Alice’s journey progress, Pugh proves that she is a force to be reckoned with, delivering a powerful, triumphant turn and undoubtedly one of the best performances of the year.
Don’t Worry Darling is not perfect; it suffers from messy and borderline amateurish editing, with tonally and visually inconsistent visions and dream sequences that threaten to derail the otherwise well-maintained atmosphere and tension. The third act is also somewhat rushed, and would have benefitted from an extended runtime beyond what made the final cut. Ultimately, however, it is a thrilling and endlessly entertaining psychological thriller that will undoubtedly find an eager audience when it debuts in theaters later this month.
Rating: 3.5/5
Don’t Worry Darling premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2022. It will be released in theaters on September 23, 2022.