A 1950s housewife living with her husband in a utopian experimental community begins to worry that his glamorous company could be hiding disturbing secrets.
Chuck says:
It’s too bad director Olivia Wilde has repeatedly shot herself in the foot on the press tour for her film “Don’t Worry Darling.” The rumors that have swirled around about her relationship with her lead, Harry Styles, how that alienated her star Florence Pugh and then a related mess with actor Shia LaBeouf have overshadowed the project, these concerns exacerbated by Wilde’s evasive and deceptive answers to questions regarding them. No one is talking about “Darling” – they’re far more interested in trying to figure out who slept with who and the fallout from this supposed indiscretion.
This is a shame as “Darling” proves to a very well-made movie, a smart, sexy, stylish piece of social commentary that, while a bit dated, manages to ask still pertinent questions regarding gender roles and the price of conformity. While initially it seems as though Wilde is setting us up for a Douglas Sirk-like expose on the dangers of compliance to social norms, it ultimately morphs into a far more sinister version of “The Truman Show” where nothing is quite as it seems.
Florence Pugh is Alice Chambers, a 1950’s homemaker living the American Dream with her hard-working, good-looking husband Jack (Styles). Their bit of suburban paradise is located in a cul-de-sac populated by tony homes with well-manicured lawns, each populated with “Father Knows Best” families. Every day, Jack goes off to work on something called “The Victory Project,” Alice stays home, scrubbing bathtubs, sweeping the floor and making sure to greet her husband dressed to the nines, a drink in her hand, dinner on the table as he walks through the door. Life is good.
That is until Alice breaks one of the community’s cardinal rules. Seeing a plane headed towards a crash landing outside of town, she sets out into the desert to investigate, a forbidden zone no one is supposed to enter. She doesn’t find much but her indiscretion is noted by Frank (Chris Pine), the architect of “The Victory Project” and the village. Toeing the line he draws is required if you want to remain in this Eisenhower Era Eden and when Alice starts asking questions, her troubles begin.
Wilde’s pace is masterful, allowing a sense of dread to slowly seep into the story, the tension steadily mounting until the high-sheen environs of the story begin to look more like a trap than social liberation. Katie Byron’s exquisite production design is worthy of study, contributing to the menace of the story as it is too perfect to be true. Once the veneer is torn away, the perversity of its perfection is effectively exaggerated.
Styles holds his own with the veteran cast, fully invested and never in danger of being blown off the screen while Pine displays a sense of menace that’s always lurked beneath his hero roles to great effect. As Frank he spouts empty platitudes, brainwashing his willing minions, investing phrases like, “There is beauty in control,” with a sense of oily conviction that the desperate and ignorant fall victim to.
However, the whole film rests on Pugh’s shoulders and she’s more than capable of bearing the load. As Alice’s mind begins to fray, the actor’s conviction in realizing each step of the character’s downfall is sincere and ultimately poignant. Pugh takes a fierce approach to each role she assumes, her conviction and work the sort you run out of accolades to describe.
The film stumbles a bit at the end, but the overall effect is hypnotic and effective. More importantly, “Darling” is a film with purpose as it calls out those who would willingly turn a blind eye to the ills of society in order to maintain their life of privilege. The vagaries of assimilation are put under the microscope and mercilessly exposed. It’s obvious Wilde stands by these convictions and her film. I just hope viewers will be discussing them instead of what might or might not have happened behind the scenes.
3 1/2 Stars
Pam says:
To read Pam’s 3 Star review, go to RHR
