☛ Cette critique est aussi disponible en français [➦].

Translated by Gabrielle Baillargeon-Michaud. 

Olivia Wilde's second feature film, Don't Worry Darling, transports us to the 1950s in a small community called "Victory." A happy couple, Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles), lead us through their orderly lives: one stays home and handles domestic chores while the other goes to work. Everything appears normal amid dinners with neighbouring couples and social events organized by the community leader.

By crafting an atmosphere where the residents' lives are programmed according to rigid gender norms, the director weaves an unsettling reality. It prompts the audience to question: Is all this happiness an illusion? This same question also begins to permeate Alice's thoughts. As her husband, Jack, climbs the social ladder and earns a promotion at work, the protagonist witnesses puzzling events and behaviours, prompting her to investigate what's happening to her. She finds herself navigating between disillusionment and reality while also dealing with a doctor who dismisses her mental and physical health concerns. Intriguingly, only the women in the community seem to suffer from these strange problems.

In Don't Worry Darling, Olivia Wilde successfully constructs a narrative with cult-like elements that trap the audience in a psychological thriller. Florence Pugh's captivating performance further challenges our perceptions and brilliantly portrays the supposed perfect world where women are relegated to caregiving roles and their right to work is questioned¹. The film also fosters further sexological reflections on consent, marital satisfaction, masculinity, and the pressures on female bodies and consciousness. It ultimately raises various philosophical and sexological questions about technology and its role in controlling women's bodies and minds.

Despite the richness of these themes and reflections, the story of Alice and Jack is set within an unchallenged heteronormative system. It would have been interesting to include characters with diverse sexualities and gender identities who also suffer the insidious consequences of sexual stereotypes and norms. Overall, the director manages to critique these through a well-crafted story that resonates with several contemporary feminist issues.

¹ The film is set in a binary and heteronormative world.

Reference:

Director/Creator: Olivia Wilde
Title: Don’t Worry Darling
Release date: September 21, 2022

This movie is available on Amazon Prime.