Review: Don’t Worry Darling

Credit: Clem Onojeghuo

By Erin Waks

Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling turned out to be an exceedingly average psychological thriller which failed to make me feel that real sense of terror any good - or even decent - thriller should. The film follows the 1950s newlyweds as they settle into life at experimental company town Victory, which houses men who work at a top-secret facility in the middle of the desert. The gender dynamics are evident: the men work, while their wives are expected to cook, clean, and look pretty. Foreboding undertones of female hysteria, male domination and control take reign. 

But Don’t Worry Darling fails to make a statement in the way many other thrillers have done so - like Jordan Peele’s Get Out, or Ari Aster’s Midsommar. Perhaps it is the confusing time-play, seemingly set in the 1950s but jumping to what appears to be the modern-day. Is Wilde suggesting men still feel the need to control women today just as they did in the 1950s? Is it merely reflecting on a sexist period of American history? It is never clear. The film is neither terrifying enough to really scare the audience, nor clever enough to provide real social commentary on gender roles. 

And then there is Harry Styles as the charmingly British Jack Chambers. For me though, it seemed more like he was just playing himself, the good-looking and slightly innocent British schoolboy type, but in front of a camera. With very little stage presence, even when the film reveals the darker truth behind his marriage and need to control his wife, his performance was a disappointment. His wet fish acting and facial expressions confirm that some people should stick to what they are good at - his music is fabulous, but his acting? Not so much.

The redeeming factor in the film has to be Florence Pugh who stars opposite Styles as impossibly gorgeous Alice Chambers. Pugh nails her role as both perfect housewife and tortured victim. She flits between both with a professional ease that places her among the best young actors to grace our screens. A true delight to watch at times and provoking and evocative at others, Pugh is Don’t Worry Darling’s saving grace. 

The film got off to a sensational start with an excellent leading lady; the opening scene’s visually pleasing composition sets the audience up for a treat. It is just a pity its success ended there.