Reviews

Renuka VyavahareTimes of India

Movie Critic

3.5/5

A constant air of suspicion, paranoia and fear engulfs Olivia Wilde’s gothic thriller that holds you psychologically hostage throughout its runtime. It’s tragic that the film served as Hollywood gossip fodder for months because its unnerving premise and execution pack a punch. You know something is not right about the utopian world and relationships that unfold and the truth is not far from it. Margaret, another woman from the community claims to know something but she is dismissed as delusional. Alice catches her slitting her throat and asks Jack about Victory’s workings. Calling it classified, he brushes her anxiety aside until she is haunted by striking dreams, images and visions. Her curiosity and sniffing around challenges the cult’s founder Frank (Chris Pine). What is Victory’s secret? What are they hiding? DWD (Don't Worry Darling) exudes Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ like eerie, uncertain energy. Tension mounts with every scene as you sense an incoming disaster like a ticking time bomb. The alarming silence is equivalent to the lull before the storm. Women diligently follow a set pattern and don’t ask why they are not allowed to step out of their homes. The men return from work with a wide smile and vague answers like, “We are changing the world.” The atmospheric thriller works as a Black Mirror like commentary on power imbalance, culture of control and silence, consent, freedom of choice and a debate on preconceived gender roles and if they make life simpler. The build-up is moody and hypnotic and the twist in the climax unpredictable even if a tad underwhelming. The movement of camera, background score, suspicious exchange of gaze — all work in making you feel as trapped in the dubious world as the protagonist. Florence Pugh is outstanding in a troubled role (Alice) reminiscent of Midsommar. She is captivating as a harrowed woman looking for answers. Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Chris Pine and Gemma Chan are perfect in their respective roles but it is Florence that holds it all together. If you are fascinated by stories on controlled chaos and experimental societies, you’ll enjoy this thriller.Read more

Synopsis

From New Line Cinema comes “Don’t Worry Darling,” directed by Olivia Wilde(“Booksmart”) and starring Florence Pugh (Oscar-nominated for“Little Women”), Harry Styles (“Dunkirk”), Wilde (upcoming “Babylon”), Gemma Chan (“Crazy Rich Asians”), KiKi Layne (“The Old Guard”) and Chris Pine (“All the Old Knives”).Alice (Pugh) and Jack (Styles) are lucky to be living in the idealized community of Victory, the experimental company town housing the men who work for the top-secret Victory Project and their families. The 1950’s societal optimism espoused by their CEO, Frank (Pine)—equal partscorporate visionary and motivational life coach—anchors every aspect of daily life in the tight-knit desert utopia.While the husbands spend every day inside the Victory Project Headquarters, working on the “development of progressive materials,” their wives—including Frank’s elegant partner, Shelley (Chan)—get to spend their time enjoying the beauty, luxury and debauchery of their community. Life is perfect, with every resident’s needs met by the company. All they ask in returnis discretion and unquestioning commitment to the Victory cause.But when cracks in their idyllic life begin to appear, exposing flashes of something much more sinister lurking beneath the attractive façade, Alice can’thelp questioning exactly what they’re doing in Victory, and why. Just how much is Alice willing to lose to expose what’s really going on in this paradise?An audacious, twisted and visually stunning psychological thriller, “Don’t Worry Darling” is a powerhouse feature from director Olivia Wilde that boasts intoxicating performances from Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, surrounded by the impressive and pitch-perfect cast.