Do Worry Darling

By Rosemarie O Byrne

My favourite thing about the movie is, like, it feels like a movie. It feels like a real go-to-the-theatre movie. Well, that and the fact that upon watching this film, I was put into a five minute long trance in which I was incapable of speaking or moving and the cinema workers had to come and kick me out of my seat. If you weren’t satisfied with the amount of drama happening with the cast in the real world, then the actual film itself promises to fulfil that need with enough psychological mind bending to keep you on edge for days. This is a spoiler free review in which I will take you through my own opinions of the film, along with everything to do with the most headlined movie of the year so far.

This film has been all over every pop culture news outlet and entertainment source for weeks now due to the drama surrounding its castmates. If you happen to have some sort of a life, you may not be aware of this drama so I’ll fill you in. Basically, rumours of tension between leading actress Florence Pugh and director/actress Olivia Wilde came about when Florence wasn’t present at the press conference for the film. The Venice Film Festival amplified the drama surrounding the film massively with leading actor Harry Styles allegedly spitting on co star Chris Pine. Fans commented on the body language between the cast at the Venice premiere saying that there was a noticeable edge between the actors. The madness of these rumours and the ongoing speculations about suspected relationships led to a surge in interest in the film. Some even go as far to say that the drama was manufactured as a means to create hype for the movie, and that it was purely a promotional tactic. Having pop music sensation Harry Styles as a frontman certainly raked in a young audience, but perhaps the drama did spike interest in people going to the cinema to see this film. With streaming services so widely available, there is an undeniable decrease in the amount of cinema-goers, thus, new methods for creating a buzz for an upcoming film are indeed necessary. This generation is said to have a shorter attention span, with videos that are shorter in length gaining the most attraction, thus it is harder to convince people to see a movie that’s two hours long in the theatre.

Wilde faced a lot of criticism for her role in directing and starring in the film, which some have suggested comes with being the girlfriend of Harry Styles. Styles’ partners have faced scrutiny from his adoring fans through the years, as they feel entitled to his private life. This means a woman in the spotlight has to face double the scrutinisation from the public for the way she behaves. Rumours and reports of how the two leading women (Pugh and Wilde) got into a ‘screaming match’ on set was the headline of many tabloids in the weeks preceding the film’s release. The double standard we so often see set for women is apparent here. This mirrors the plot of the movie in another way, as the film is largely concerned with sexual politics and how the patriarchy seeks to control and demean women. Interestingly, Olivia Wilde herself has said that the drama surrounding Don’t Worry Darling is exactly what the film strives to communicate. She finds an irony in the gossip and rumours that were spreading because ‘the film is about the narratives we are fed and whether we choose to accept them or question their sources’. 

Now, enough of all the he-said-she-said. Let’s get into my own experience of Don’t Worry Darling. For starters, the cinema itself was packed. It was really nice to be in a room full of people so responsive to the film in front of them, and by that I mean people laughed or gasped at the appropriate moments to do so, and just made me feel like part of a little movie club community whilst I was watching. I had been pre warned that the Harry Styles fans would be taking photos of him during the movie, but I was not prepared for them to be with flash… Nevertheless, my eyes were glued to the screen for the duration of the film so I thankfully didn’t take too much notice of the improper cinema behaviour that was going on around me. I went into the film with an open mind. Despite the negative reviews I decided I wasn’t going to let them impact my own impression of the movie, and I turned out to be very pleasantly surprised. Florence Pugh is simply captivating to watch, and she did contribute heavily to my overall enjoyment of the film, but still, this is a movie with a lot going for it. 

Although the title suggests a gentle ride, this film is anything but, and quite frankly you will be worried, darling. Or at the very least mildly disturbed. It falls into the horror/psychological thriller genre, and I feel as though it lived up to its category. I was suitably on edge and couldn’t peel my eyes away from the big screen, even when I found myself wanting to hide behind my hands in fear of what was about to happen I didn’t want to miss a moment. I had to be dragged out of my seat by the end of the film as I sat with my mouth open for a solid five minutes as the credits rolled without uttering a single word, too stunned to speak. I would even go as far to say that Styles did a good performance, though I did find myself making allowances for him as he was performing against Pugh, one of the best actors of this generation, in my opinion. At one moment I even almost forgot about him being a popstar and believed him to be the character he was playing (though that moment didn’t last too long). Chris Pine did a stellar job at playing the mastermind behind the Victory Project, and the all-knowing power tripping villain. I feel as though we didn’t get enough of his character, however. 

I enjoyed the cinematography and the snappy shots back and forth between the picture-perfect life and something darker that lies beneath the surface. This film does certainly have a high production value and feels like a big film, but the ending could have benefitted from a bit more clarity. It felt rushed and a bit more time may have aided in smoothening out the rough edges. There was a strong sense of something sinister happening in the beginning, and felt like The Truman Show in the way that the audience is peering in at this presentation of a glamorous 1950s lifestyle that the characters are living, with the knowledge that everything is not what it seems. It didn’t quite live up to its strong beginning in the end, as the tale unfolded and plot holes here and there became apparent. 

 If you’re expecting this film to be terrible based on other reviews, the drama surrounding it, and the fact Harry Styles is fighting for his life in somewhat of an acting debut with the pro that is Florence Pugh, then I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. On the other hand, I don’t see this movie getting any main category Oscars. It delivers in terms of offering an entertaining, disturbing and mind-tripping experience, but its plot holes and weak ending subtract from what is otherwise, a very worthwhile watch. I would definitely still recommend you see this movie in the cinema while you still have the chance. I think a powerful selling point of it is that I left the theatre feeling tripped out and a little bit out of touch with reality. Everything in real life felt somewhat distorted and I think that’s a credit to the imaginary world that was created. I would even be inclined to watch it a second time round as I think a lot could be gained from having prior knowledge of the complicated storyline, so you can actually enjoy the other aspects of the film like the production design and cinematography.