Darling, what the hell is going on?
What seems to be the most anticipated and talked about movie of the year finally came out in theaters last Friday, Sept. 23. “Don’t Worry, Darling” is proving that it’s unable to stand up to the hype that was created before it even hit the big screen, and critics are saying it is just not worth the watch.
The first scene takes the audience into a small, intimate dinner party with main characters. The character and world-building follows this theme of intimacy throughout, and even feels borderline intrusive, which can be a good or bad thing depending on the viewer. This is especially seen with the two sex scenes that take place early-on and were actually notably uncomfortable to watch.
Once the viewer begins to get an idea of where they are, which appears to be a somehow modern version of a 1950s suburbia, things begin to take off and make one question exactly what the hell is going on. There were scenes of topless women, empty eggshells and other small details in which no one else wants to question; if the viewer weren’t to watch with an extremely careful, analytical eye, it seems too much crucial information would be missed, which could explain the poor ratings.
Critics have also stated the movie to be too familiarized, regurgitating a common theme that has been seen repeatedly in psychological thrillers: a fake world where the main character doesn’t know it is fake, similar to “The Truman Show” and any other movie following in these footsteps. However, this one does take it in a somewhat different direction with the idea that the lead is a woman, one who is living in a fabricated man’s world. Wilde’s take on female pleasure through a man’s perspective is actually quite relatable, and truly only a theme that a female director could take on.
Alice experiences several instances of feeling like she is suffocating, like when she is trapped against the window, cleaning or wrapping herself in cellophane when she is preparing dinner. While her husband thinks she has the perfect life, she is repeatedly showing that she feels trapped in what is supposed to be her ideal world, and it is never explained as to why she wants to be with him in the first place. Despite this, Wilde does a great job at putting in the metaphors of Alice’s entrapment, and the constant panic attacks she faces in this world where she is only gaslit by the men that she is forced to live beside. It’s frustrating and eerily relatable in all of the right places.
Undoubtedly, Styles’ performance was above par to what was expected from the pop singer who had only been in several small acting parts beforehand. He dived into the role, and while Pugh and Kroll, unsurprisingly, out-acted him in several scenes, he was still able to keep up when it came to displaying a man with fake confidence, manipulative to his wife and being used like a puppet in the overall scheme of things. While his improv acting could indeed use some work, the only disappointment I had was that he didn’t attempt his most notable performance of the puppet dance at Madison Square Garden during his residency this last month.
As Styles said himself at the Venice Film Festival, “Don’t Worry, Darling” does “feel like a movie,” or at the very least, a very long “Black Mirror” episode. Truly, the film felt as if it was going to end at least three times before it actually ended, while still leaving out important details that could’ve made the story feel more likely.
Overall, “Don’t Worry, Darling” didn’t have a shot at keeping with the hype that star Harry Styles was destined to create for it, but it still does a good job at tackling these themes of sexism if you know what to look for. It has great work displayed both behind and in front of the camera and is a good watch if you are into the sci-fi thriller themes. Whether you want to call it an over-familiarized theme or not, it is guaranteed to keep you watching and entertained for the entire two hours, even with the few pacing and structural issues.
