Don’t Worry Darling speaks to society’s obsession with perfection

Olivia Wilde’s latest embodies perfection

Image by: Amna Rafiq
Jack and Alice Chambers were picture-perfect.

Olivia Wilde’s new movie, Don’t Worry Darling, has been the talk of social media for weeks now. Between the drama surrounding the cast and the countless clips of oral sex scenes of Harry Styles and Florence Pugh circling social media, you’ve no doubt heard about this movie.

The movie was released in theatres on Sept. 23 and given my avid obsession for Styles—and the fact the movie looked incredibly interesting—I ran to theatres as fast as I could to watch the film before Twitter had the chance to spoil it for me.

Let me tell you, it was completely worth the watch.

Wilde’s film takes place in an experimental town known as the Victory Project, in which husbands do unknown work and wives drink cocktails by the poolside with friends, don’t work, and tend to their gorgeous—British—husbands.

Though, as with all euphoric utopian societies, there are flaws. Alice Chambers slowly starts to question what her husband, Jack, really does and how they ended up in Victory. Between erotic distraction, Jack’s dancing scene (if you know, you know), and creepy vivid dreams, Alice begins to question the cookie-cutter life she’s living.

Wilde takes this concept to a whole other level with beautiful cinematography matching the white picket fence ideal. Down to the photography of the perfectly cut sandwiches, filled-to-the-rim coffee cups, and green lawns so pristine it would give my dad a heart attack, the film exudes perfection—it’s almost eerie.

By the end of the movie—spoiler alert—we find out Jack Chambers is deeply flawed.

Jack was unemployed, not very attractive, and struggling in his relationship with Alice. He fell into a cultic incel community which taught him about the Victory project. He signed himself up, drugged Alice, and then hooked them both up to a simulation.

Victory was a fantasy world all the women had been living in, controlled by their psychopathic husbands controlled by their poor self-esteem and place in the real world.

The movie itself has received floods of negative reviews, condemning Styles for his poor acting skills—this is simply wrong—and how the plot resembles those of other movies like The Truman Show and The Stepford Wives. Some have argued the film’s visuals covered for its subpar plot and unanswered questions.

Frankly, considering the film’s strongly feminist themes and the fact Wilde directed it, I’m not entirely sure the bad reviews speak to the well-executed plot or beautiful photography, but rather the internalized misogyny of the critics. 

Personally, I find the critiques of the film to be dramatic. Complaints of there being too many unanswered questions and more imagery than ideology are flaws normally seen as strengths.

The edge-of-your-seat feelings and unanswered questions are what keep you engaged and talking about the movie for time to follow—it stimulates you.

Not to mention, you’re complaining the movie is made up of beautiful photography and visuals. That’s the point: it exemplifies perfection in every aspect of life—the (literally) picture-perfect, cookie-cutter world. Why are we dissing gorgeous cinematography?

This movie clearly depicts our world’s obsession with a flawless world. It exemplifies how much pressure is on individuals to be living a perfect life—to the point of violence against women to make it happen.

While realistically, this does not happen and the sociopathic breaking point is simply to fit the thriller genre, the point remains: individuals in our world will put their morals and values aside in their pursuit of such perfection.

We live in a time in which living the good life is the standard. An amazing job, a perfect and gorgeous spouse, a strong social life, and a beautiful physique—in other words, a life without flaws—are the only way to be happy.

It’s impossible to fit this image. To attain such a standard would be more detrimental to your mental health than the end goal of perfection is worth. As Wilde’s movie exemplifies, even in a perfect world—real or not—there will be flaws.

We need to remember flaws are what give life meaning. They are what make our life interesting and distinguish us from our peers.

Not only does the film have an extremely talented star-studded cast, a female director who hit the mark, and an engaging, thrilling plot line, but it also makes a deeply important commentary on how focused our society is on being perfect.

Darling, this movie is worth the watch. 

Tags

Actors, celebrities, Cinematography, Don't Worry Darling, Film, Harry Styles, Perfectionism, Society, Visual art

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to content