A 1950s housewife living with her husband in a utopian experimental community begins to worry that his glamorous company could be hiding disturbing secrets.
“Don’t Worry Darling” will go down in the history books not for being an amazing and thoughtful film, but for the so-called behind-the-scenes shenanigans that accompanied the making of the movie. Everything from director Olivia Wilde firing Shia LaBeouf for his supposed poor behavior, to Ms. Wilde and star Florence Pugh allegedly clashing on set, to claims of Harry Styles spitting on co-star Chris Pine at the film’s premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, sadly, the movie’s enthusiasm and beautifully shot vistas, will forever be tarnished by these circumstances, and it will take a long time for a new generation of moviegoers to watch it without its troubled history influencing every frame.
Alice and Jack Chambers (Florence Pugh and Harry Styles) live in the blissful 1950s-styled neighborhood of Victory, California. Every morning, Jack goes off to work at Victory Headquarters, a remote building located in the surrounding desert along with all the other men in the neighborhood. Alice and the neighboring housewives stay at home and clean their houses, take care of their kids, and have dinner waiting for their husbands when they come home at the end of the day. Life appears to be idyllic until Alice begins experiencing strange recollections of another life. When she brings it to Jack’s attention, he’s reluctant to talk about it but as the memories intensify, so does her need to understand what is going on.
“Don’t Worry Darling” brings to mind “The Truman Show” and “The Stepford Wives” with director Olivia Wilde taking up the gauntlet in her newfound role behind the camera. As a talented actor herself, she manages to infuse her film with enough intrigue and mysteriousness that you have no idea what is going on until everything is revealed, the sign of a good director. Florence Pugh is in top form as are Chris Pine and Gemma Chan while Harry Styles, in only his second big-screen outing, does a commendable job. Cinematographer Matthew Libatique, best known for shooting Darren Aronofsky’s “Pi,” “Requiem for a Dream,” “The Fountain,” “Black Swan,” “Noah,” and “Mother!,” establishes the perfect 1950s suburban utopia, a setting that is almost too good to be true, and by the film’s end, proves just as much.
“Don’t Worry Darling” is that rare combination of exemplary acting, enthralling writing, and visual finesse. Wilde is a double threat here, directing and acting, and accomplishes both enthusiastically. It’s just a pity the film has been overshadowed by its behind-the-scenes high jinks as I feel the movie would have been better received otherwise. If you can put all the tabloid fodder aside, you might actually enjoy “Don’t Worry Darling,” I know I did.
Now available on Digital HD and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, & DVD November 29th
