If ink space and online controversy sold tickets, Don't Worry Darling would be on course to make a billion. Much has been unflatteringly rumoured, discussed and speculated pertaining to the production of Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling, a sophomore feature that has attracted a level of conversation that transcends the world of film and veers into showbiz and tabloid fodder. Starring Florence Pugh and - in his first major starring role - Harry Styles as a happily married couple living in a perfect utopia, the narrative's tale of this perfect facade that conceals a darker underbelly is rather ironic given the troubled production that has brought the film to our screens.
Alice and Jack are besotted with each other, the experimental community in which they live and the glamorous lifestyle they lead that keeps them safe, supported and protected. But when the illusion begins to shatter for Alice after a number of unexplained events occur, she begins to discover disturbing secrets that throw her entire life into jeopardy. Starring alongside Pugh, Styles and Wilde are Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll and Kate Berlant.
A film with clear ambition, Don't Worry Darling has its sights set on the stars. With so many moving parts, it is clearly a massive leap for director Wilde from her directorial debut, Booksmart: a comparatively simple coming-of-age comedy. A twisty narrative combined with complex themes of power, gender expectations and oppression, in conjunction with the need for powerful visual storytelling, the undertaking is considerable - but contrary to some suggestions, Wilde succeeds more often than not.
A production adorned with sleek production and dazzling production design, stunningly captured by cinematographer Matthew Libatique, it is one of the most glamorous films of the year. Everything is presented so perfectly so as to feed into the utopian environment it is set in, a 50s housewives dream. Matched with a terrifically-pieced together soundtrack and John Powell's paranoia-inducing score, Wilde's vision is lush and so meticulously laid out, creating both a familiarity and discomfort within Alice's universe.
Don't Worry Darling's concept evolved through numerous adaptations before arriving at this iteration. Katie Silberman's explores some fascinating ideas that bubble away throughout the film's first two acts, never once dropping your attention and ensuring you remain constantly enthralled in the unfolding drama and chaos. It whips up an uneasy atmosphere which festers away as Alice's discoveries become narratively darker and thematically denser.
But where the film appears to stumble most is in delivering a satisfying pay-off for those questions. With a frustrating number of plot points left open and questions bizarrely unanswered, it would be wise to wager that somewhere there is a cutting room floor piled high with scenes and content that prevent the film from being as great as it should have been. As reasons unravel and twists turn, the film becomes less intent on answering the questions scattered throughout the film as it does in just explaining the hows and whys. What it leaves you with is a somewhat sour taste after such a sweet, promising start to it all.
Florence Pugh performs her heart out to steady the film and alleviate Don't Worry Darling of its nagging problems and plot holes. A performance of genuine complexity and informed by the power themes at play, Pugh excels in this starring role, as has become so expected. As the illusion around her shatters, Pugh guides us down the subsequent rabbit hole with a magnetism that never loses control of us as an audience. It is really marvellous, skilled work that proves her as one of her generation's very best.
A great deal will be written about Harry Styles' performance and indeed the acting credentials that have catapulted him into such a juicy role. Perhaps it's fairest to simply say: he's trying. It's clear he's a newbie to the craft, making predictable choices, with the amateurishness of his work exaggerated by the brilliance of Pugh's. For the most part, he performs serviceably, disarming with the charm that has made him one of the most beloved popstars on the planet - but his line reading feels contrived in the more explosives scenes, unable to step up to the bigger, bolder moments the script demands of him. Of the supporting players, Chris Pine shines and a power play against Pugh offers a dynamite scene that is fascinating to watch, reflecting the film at its strongest. Wilde as an actress has moments of brilliance too.
Don't Worry Darling is an entertaining flick. Flawed yet fascinating. A lavishly-packaged production with a riveting performance from Florence Pugh, Wilde's feature is never less than an engaging flick, even as it struggles to live up to its potential and satisfy its ambitious objectives - and it's easier to forgive a film for swinging a little too confidently over a film that doesn't want to try at all. While it would be unfair to suggest that the troubled production spills over into the film, it is rather ironically symbolic of the film's narrative: a glossy image disguising a broken reality. They say truth is stranger than fiction - but sometimes, it's exactly the same.