An intriguing plot, a promising cast, Olivia Wilde’s direction — the setup is all there, but Don’t Worry Darling (2022) gets too caught up in glamour and falls flat on its face. The film is enjoyable at face value; the visual and musical excitement is almost rich enough to entertain the audience for its entire two-hour runtime. Yet, “Don’t Worry Darling” can at best be described as a scatter plot, lacking creative clarity at its most crucial moments.
“Don’t Worry Darling” is not a bad film, not by a long shot. It was poorly received by critics because, well, critics tend to notice when films lack essential storytelling devices. Wilde is mostly successful in conveying tone and thematic elements through her direction, but sloppy screenwriting sabotages most of the film’s potential.
“Don’t Worry Darling” has an interesting if somewhat predictable plot, but like many psychological thrillers, it gets complicated. Imagine the general concept of “The Truman Show” squeezed into a 1950’s-style desert suburb in which everything is tightly controlled, symmetrical, simultaneous, perfect. Jack (Harry Styles) and Alice (Florence Pugh) Chambers are one of a small group of married couples who participate in the uncanny “Victory Project,” headed by Big Brother-esque figure, Frank (Chris Pine). Alice slides into the “unstable housewife” trope as she starts to unravel “Victory’s” secrets; she creates a chaos which threatens the community’s survival.
Unfortunately, the most chaotic thing about “Don’t Worry Darling” is not the action, but the script. The screenplay, written by Katie Silberman, lacks substance. Throughout the first two acts, the audience is met with a jumbled, vague story, while the visuals and music remain engaging. Early on, it is established that “Victory” works towards a common goal, but only the husbands understand the vision. Alice’s ignorance of her situation and her infatuation with Jack work in the first act, but create inconsistencies within the plot as the story unfolds.
Alice shifts from seemingly inexplicable visions and hallucinations to accusing Frank of manipulating the community. She has evidence to back up her accusation, but this is the first time the audience is made aware of it. A more effective second act might have allowed Alice to realize each piece of evidence in time with the audience, to build a crawling sensation of suspense. It would appear that “Don’t Worry Darling” anticipates its end, the climax and plot twist into which most of the story is condensed. But a story that relies so heavily on its climax leaves behind traces of plot holes, unanswered questions and places where the script failed to flesh out and fill in the blanks. Alice’s hallucinations fit into this category.
Psychological thrillers tend to use visual metaphors to portray psychological distress. Take “Black Swan,” for example. Ballerina Nina Sayers succumbs to paranoia and pressure as she prepares for her role as the Black Swan, and experiences episodes of psychosis. Nina imagines herself turning into a swan: she plucks feathers from her back and her legs break to resemble those of a bird. Something similar occurs with Alice; the more she starts to question “Victory”, the less in touch she seems to be with reality. The only problem with Alice’s episodes: it is difficult to understand why she is experiencing them.
Alice is in the kitchen wrapping food in cling film. She has the sudden impulse to take the roll and wrap it around her face — tightly — until her face is contorted and she realizes: she can’t breathe. She’s clawing at the cling film, ripping at her mouth in order to break open a hole. There are some very obvious interpretations of this scene (e.g., “Victory” messes with people like Alice who try to uncover the truth; they become sick or suicidal). These interpretations work, but this scene is overly acted; the audience’s perception of whether they are inside or outside Alice’s mind is blurred. Is she having an episode? Is she acting on impulse? The scene lacks a strong sense of anxiety which might have been clearer had Wilde used lighting, sound, etc. to her advantage.
Alice’s episodes do not need to be understood (that’s the fun of film analysis), but they should be purposeful. Clarity should not be sacrificed for aesthetics. In Black Swan, Nina Sayers’ psychosis often leads the audience to ask: did she actually do that, or did she imagine the whole thing? Though it can be difficult to understand, the acting, music, camerawork, etc. ensures that the audience is certain they are inside of her anxiety; an episode is occuring, but the reality of Nina’s actions are obscured — this isn’t achieved in “Don’t Worry Darling.”
Wilde definitely makes an attractive film, but if she intended to leave a social message, it doesn’t land. Sure, the plot twist is highly unsettling and makes an obvious statement about men craving power, the role of patriarchy in society. But audiences have been told that story before and most already know sexism is bad. In order for audiences to leave theaters highly affected by the message of any piece of art, some semblance of continuum needs to exist. Wilde deserves credit where credit is due — “Don’t Worry Darling ” is a visual treat, but once devoured, audiences leave empty-handed.
