Don't Worry Darling, 2022, dir. Olivia Wilde.
Walking into this film I didn't know what to expect. Following the months of controversy surrounding the director and the cast of this film I felt that the film itself had been overshadowed by the drama and the media had pulled focus away from what it truly was, which was a visually beautiful exploration into misogyny and the control that men have over women. The film details the life of Alice (Florence Pugh), who lives a seemingly easy life in a stereotypical suburban town in rural America and is happily married to partner Jack(Harry Styles). During the course of the film Alice begins to notice anomalies around her, strange behaviours of women in her town (all who seem to live the same happy life that she does). These strange occurrences are portrayed beautifully through the use of psychedelic imagery and tropes often used in psychological thrillers. As layers of her life are peeled away it is revealed to the viewer that Alice's life in this world is a simulation and she is being kept captive in the real world by Jack after he killed her husband, to be used by him to make this fantasy life he so craves. As Alice discovers this she plans her escape, however we do not ever find if she has returned to her real body or if she has to continue to live a lie forever. This was a very refreshing way to show misogyny and the control of men and the devices used did this perfectly. However I did find that the act three twist had been given away too early and overall the second half of the film felt very rushed and frantic. This film was visually a masterpiece but the story left a little more to be desired. I also believe that the controversy surrounding the production and the cast took away from the true nature of the film and gathered a lot of negative attention around it.
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