Florence Pugh Shines in the Controversial Thriller Don’t Worry Darling

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The strongest aspect of Olivia Wilde’s film is undoubtedly Florence Pugh’s performance. The 2022 mystery-thriller follows Alice Chambers (Pugh) and her husband, Jack (Harry Styles), who live in the seemingly perfect town of Victory. However, after Alice witnesses a friend’s death, she starts to uncover disturbing truths about her life and community. The film also features supporting performances by Olivia Wilde, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, and Nick Kroll.

While Don’t Worry Darling made a profit – earning $87 million on a $30 million budget – critics weren’t impressed. The film received mostly negative reviews, with a 38% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6.3/10 on IMDb. Released in 2022, it’s a film people remember, even if it didn’t achieve widespread critical acclaim.

Florence Pugh Carries Don’t Worry Darling on Her Back

Florence Pugh is a remarkably talented actress who effortlessly embodies her roles. Whether it’s a smaller part or a leading character, like Princess Irulan in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy, she consistently captivates viewers with her on-screen presence.

Honestly, Florence Pugh just dominates every scene she’s in, even when she’s not saying a word! Playing Alice, she makes everything feel so real – you can genuinely feel her fear and paranoia. And the way she connects with the other characters? It’s so complex and believable; they all feel like fully realized people.

Pine gives a strong performance as Frank, the founder of Victory, and the film boasts beautiful visuals thanks to Matthew Libatique’s cinematography, complemented by John Powell’s excellent score. However, despite the talented cast, Florence Pugh is the only actor who fully convinces as the character throughout the entire film.

Florence Pugh truly shines whenever she shares a scene with Harry Styles. She consistently brings a deeper understanding to the dialogue, delivering her lines with complete belief and authenticity, often more so than Styles.

Off-Camera Drama Fuels Don’t Worry Darling’s Popularity

The drama around Don’t Worry Darling isn’t about the movie itself, but rather the issues that happened during its creation. Director Olivia Wilde faced a lot of public rumors about relationships and conflicts involving the main actors, both during filming and leading up to the movie’s release.

Florence Pugh reportedly skipped many interviews and events promoting the film, supposedly due to conflicts with director Olivia Wilde. Wilde was also dating Harry Styles, who played Jack, during filming in September 2020. It’s still unknown whether Shia LaBeouf resigned from the project or was let go.

Ultimately, Don’t Worry Darling is a case of a film gaining notoriety for all the wrong reasons. Casting Harry Styles—a member of one of the most popular boy bands ever—was a clear move to boost ticket sales and generate buzz, relying on his celebrity rather than the film’s merits.

Look, Pine, Chan, and Kroll are all really talented actors with impressive backgrounds, but honestly, I don’t think this movie really showcases what they can do. And while the cast does a good job, the film feels like it’s relying on its pre-existing hype more than on its actual quality. It’s the name attached to it that’s drawing attention, not the movie itself, and that’s a little disappointing.

Don’t Worry Darling Is Better in Theory Than in Practice

Several versions of the screenplay have been available online since 2019. The initial script, written by Carey and Shane Van Dyke, is featured on The Black List, a platform showcasing promising unproduced screenplays.

On paper, Alice’s plight and the mysterious aura surrounding Victory are highly intriguing, especially when Jack’s tone completely shifts in the . Feminism, female autonomy, and patriarchy are what drive the narrative, as are the mental and physical effects of men attempting to control women.

While Olivia Wilde isn’t a poor director, a key issue with Don’t Worry Darling is its reluctance to fully explore the bigger themes it introduces. For instance, Marissa is the only Black character, and the film misses an opportunity to address the racial dynamics of the 1950s setting. Instead of giving her a more significant role connected to those issues, her character mainly supports Alice’s storyline.

While the film doesn’t fully explore how different forms of discrimination overlap, and its story starts to feel repetitive around the middle, Don’t Worry Darling isn’t a total loss. Florence Pugh delivers a performance that makes it worth watching, even if just once.

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2026-02-02 00:08