After the success of her directorial debut, Booksmart, viewers anticipated the release of Olivia Wilde’s second film, Don’t Worry Darling. Not only is the psychological thriller packed full of celebrities like Harry Styles, Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Nick Kroll, and Gemma Chan, but the drama surrounding the film pushed many viewers to see it. While there were rumors of the cast not getting along, the replacement of actors, and even a relationship between Wilde and Styles, it was nearly impossible to think about external factors while watching the movie unfold. 

While it is technically set in the modern day, the majority of the movie takes place in what seems to be the 1950s. Every couple, including Jack (Styles) and Alice (Pugh), are members of an experimental community, Victory, where every day the men go to work at the Victory Headquarters while the women stay home, cooking and cleaning. Everything seems perfect until Alice notices disturbing glitches in her daily life, like a plane crash that no one else seemed to see. After ending up at headquarters Alice begins experiencing what are later revealed to be memories of her real life outside of The Victory Project, but her suspicions are dismissed by everyone, including her own husband. Eventually, Alice learns the truth about the ‘utopia’ her husband has planted them in, and manages to escape. 

While I was entertained and on the edge of my seat throughout the film, there were a few plot holes and production errors. Many things were left unexplained, like the earthquakes that occur throughout the movie. Despite the handful of flaws, the acting helped sell the slightly predictable plot. Pugh’s talent carried the movie, but many people (myself included) were shocked by Styles’ performance. Although Wilde had originally cast Shia LaBeouf to play Jack Chambers, Styles was called to step in after a conflict between Pugh and LaBeouf. Styles definitely has a lot to learn, especially considering this was his first lead, but he played the part of Jack very well for most of the movie.

Overall, I would give Don’t Worry Darling a 7.5/10. I thought the storyline was interesting, the actors were extremely convincing, and the music and fashion were very fitting for the movie as a whole. The movie left me with a lot of questions, but I would encourage anyone who is on the fence to go to the next screening!