Tonight I took myself out on a date. It was the kind of night that I relished in my own autonomy and self-care. Movie night after a long work day. Popcorn and a rum and coke and a seat for one, I proceeded to watch the much anticipated and presumably, overhyped film of the Autumn Season, Don’t Worry Darling. Directed by Olivia Wilde, and screenplay by Kate Silberman.
Set n the 1950s, Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles) live in the idealized community of Victory, an experimental company town that houses the men who work on a top-secret project. A Palm Springs Esque town set in the Mad Men era. While the husbands toil away, the wives get to enjoy the beauty, luxury, and debauchery of their seemingly perfect paradise.
We have all read the snippets of actress Florence Pugh and Director Olivia Wilde having a fight on set. And who can forget the Chris Pine meme– did Harry Styles actually spit on Chris? And within the same thread of noise, we have also read “critical acclaim” and “masterpiece”. So is this movie worth seeing?? I really do not want to give away the plot. If you truly feel inclined to get the scoop there are many spoilers out there.
What I am here to do is to say what my title suggests. I loved this film because I do believe that I am in charge of my own happiness. When Olivia Wilde directed this movie, I would imagine it was somewhat of a surreal experience. Because, despite the public perception of her husband being amazing, she left him. And to amplify the decision, even more, she started dating her costar in the film, and ultra-famous younger musician by the name of Harry Styles. While she has since been criticized for abandoning her family for the hot musician, the common thread that this movie has with that decision is the heroine in the film decides that only she is in charge of her own happiness. And that her life is her own. No one gets to decide how happy she is, how blind and naive she gets to be, and also how “Safe”. A powerful word thrown about in this film quite often.
What sets this movie apart from anything that I have seen as of late is that it tries desperately to trick you into grasping the best reality for the characters on screen. So I guess, depending on how cynical you are determines how quickly you become suspicious and begin to see the forest from the trees.
Don’t Worry Darling gives me some Pleasantville feels and some Muholland Drive tingles, but the arc to the story goes much deeper as the modern thread of a permanent vacation is ripe with futuristic thrills that are both tantalizing for some and disturbing for others.
What Don’t Worry Darling should do for you is make you consider your own alternate reality. Would you actually be happier if your “Happiness” were up to someone else? How do you define happiness anyway? And when does love become toxic? Are you willing to own your bad days to revel in your good ones? Or do you just want to dream?