Don’t Worry Darling

California in the 1950s: Alice Chambers ( Florence Pugh ) leads the perfect life in a small town called Victory, named after the Victory Project led by Frank ( Chris Pine ). While her husband works for the company during the day and is involved in top-secret projects, Alice takes care of the housework or meets up with her friends like Bunny ( Olivia Wilde ), whose husbands also work for Victory. Until recently, Margaret ( KiKi Layne) to the clique, went shopping with them or met them for a drink. But in the meantime, she says such funny things, which has led to a growing estrangement between the women. Unlike the others, Alice still feels obligated to her former friend. Especially since she now has the feeling that something is wrong in Victory …

Expectations were high for Don’t Worry Darling. After Olivia Wilde, who became known as an actress, received a series of strong reviews with her directorial debut Booksmart, the audience was curious about her second feature film. Especially since the thriller has a first-class cast. After the world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2022, the film was on everyone’s lips. But it was more the gossip about the stories behind the scenes that was discussed, again and again, less the film itself. On the one hand, this may be due to the people and the media, who are more interested in scandals than in a substantive debate. On the other hand, it should also be a point that the high expectations are only partially fulfilled.

The scenario itself is quite useful. An outwardly perfect small town with something amiss might not seem like an overly original idea. Some will be reminded, for example, of The Stepford Women, in which the women also pursue very traditional gender roles in a self-contained picture book community. In Don’t Worry Darling we see the wives cooking and cleaning, also to satisfy male lusts – which is why there are no single women here. Now and then the wives are allowed to have fun, dance, shop, or drink. Nevertheless, the day is characterized by a unique monotony. Everything is subject to such strict routines that you feel trapped in a time warp film.

• Don't Worry Darling