A woman suspects that her life isn’t what it seems in Don’t Worry Darling, the latest from director Olivia Wilde.
Alice has a perfect life, at least on the surface. She’s married to a wonderful husband and they live in a beautiful, safe community. She spends her days cooking, cleaning, and maintaining their household, all the usual responsibilities she and her fellow 1950s housewives share. The only thing that’s different about their lives is that their community is an isolated one, a supposed utopia, but Alice begins to suspect that there are sinister things being hidden there.
It’s a good old feminist-tinged thriller from Wilde, a sharp turn from her incredibly successful directing debut, Booksmart. That teen comedy quickly established that she’s a force to be reckoned with behind the camera as well as in front of it, which she does both of in her second feature.
Wilde plays one of the other wives in the community, with the main couple being played by Florence Pugh and Harry Styles. Pugh will carry the film and get put through the wringer as Alice, a weight she can undoubtedly carry. Styles is a bit more of an unknown as an actor, but he’s held his own in the small parts he’s had. The rest of the cast is unsurprisingly full of impressive performers given Wilde’s success, with KiKi Layne, Chris Pine, and Gemma Chan also appearing.
So far this has bypassed any festival showings, so we must wait to see if it’ll live up to the hype.
Don’t Worry Darling is directed by Olivia Wilde and stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, and KiKi Layne. It will be released in the US and the UK on September 23rd, 2022. For international release dates, click here.
What secrets do you think Alice will find? Let us know in the comments!
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.