Don’t Worry Darling: A Comically Charged Thriller
By Malia Kabwe (Staff Writer)
“Don't Worry Darling”, directed by Olivia Wilde was released on Sept. 23. This phycological thriller aims to explore the way gender roles affect interpersonal relationships. Much of the publicity regarding the movie was rooted in drama and the prospect of seeing Harry Styles in a sex scene. However, the movie does prove itself to be much more interesting than the drama.
The film follows protagonist Alice (Florence Pugh) and her husband Jack (Harry Styles). Alice and Jack move into a nice suburban town called Victory. They both are living their American dream lives before Alice begins to notice the holes and inconsistencies in their paradise. While the movie has a fascinating premise of simulations, desperation, and misogyny, the message is skewed in some ways. One reason is the common debate that the movie is a white woman’s version of “Get Out”. I agree with parts of this critique considering the distinct similarities between the two films. Similarities being the critique of social issues using a surrealist situation. However, that statement may give Wilde a bit too much credit. This movie is good, “Get Out” is almost great in my opinion. And as someone who is used to re-experiencing black media through a white lens, the similarities are not surprising, just painfully unoriginal.
Now, the performances in the film existed in a wide spectrum. Pugh, who also starred in “Midsommar” and seen in “Little Women”, exhibited a truly amazing performance. Styles, however, simply could not keep up. Many of Styles’ performances were met with literal laughter from the audience. While his performance was not awful, next to a more experienced actress like Pugh he seemed comical. It was almost distracting from the movie’s premise which was otherwise very serious. One second we would watch a suicide scene and the next laughing at Styles’ portrayal of an angry husband. The timeline was very strong with some lagging towards the end that occurs in many psychological thrillers. However, there are great sprinkles of comedy throughout which make it seem less slow.
There were a few inconsistencies that I noticed were brushed off due to the stylization of the film. Wilde introduces two new characters (Jack and Alice’s new neighbors) into the movie that seem to have no real purpose for the plot. Margaret’s (Kiki Lane) character was also a little empty considering she was such a propeller for the rest of the story.
Despite its shortcomings, “Don't Worry Darling” was still entertaining. I think that Wilde made a brave choice by writing a psychological thriller after her hit comedy “Booksmart”. If you want to have a quick laugh and feel thrilled, “Don't Worry Darling” is worth a watch.