BY BIANCA BILLONI, STAFF WRITER
Any movie that includes Florence Pugh, the 1950s and pastel colors can count me in. “Don’t Worry Darling” was no exception to this. Before moving any further, I want to give a spoiler disclaimer. I will be discussing more than is shown in the trailer, so don’t read any further if you haven’t already seen the movie! Definitely go see the movie! Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get into the review.
First, let’s talk about the aesthetic of the film. I’m a sucker for soft and light colors, especially paired with the vintage era, so major props to Olivia Wilde for executing that aspect well. In terms of acting, this felt like Florence Pugh’s movie with everyone else just … there. Anytime she was on screen, she was Alice. Her joy, her fear, her sadness … all of it was real and purposeful. Maybe I’m biased, but I just didn’t feel like everyone else put as much into their performances as she did, although I think Harry Styles did a good job for someone who hasn’t been acting a long time. Aside from some of the less than convincing performances, I’d like to cut them some slack since some blame could be placed on the plot.
The story itself is interesting enough. It wasn’t until I was doing some research that I realized this was a book before the 2022 film, so I suppose I can’t blame the “it was a simulation the whole time” trope entirely on the director and screenwriters, but I can speak to their execution of the plot. I do like that there are subtle hints to this reveal, such as Alice humming the tune that Jack sings in the real world and even having flashes of memories of her old life. Some of the other hallucinations didn’t make as much sense to me after having watched the whole movie, but I thought they still added to the thrilling aspect of the movie.
With all this in mind, I still thought there were some things that could have used more explanation. Even if the point was to leave certain things open ended, there could’ve been more lead up. For example, when Shelley killed Frank, I did not see that coming at all. I’m all for plot twists, but the fun of a good plot twist is that you can go back and see the foreshadowing for that moment. I just didn’t feel like we got any of that. Between this incident, Margaret’s “disappearance” and the mysterious earthquakes, there are many unanswered questions left at the end of the movie. All in all, I think the movie was overhyped. I would certainly watch it again with friends, but I just wish more had been done with the ideas that were presented.
billonbd19@bonaventure.edu
