***NO SPOILERS***
Don't Worry Darling is a movie about a woman, Alice Chambers, trying to solve her friend's disappearance and understand what the Victory Project is. The movie's timeline is unknown but looks like it takes place in the 1950s based on the set design and costumes.
During 3/4 of the movie, I felt very 'kept in the dark' since the audience is in the same mindset as Alice since I assume it's her point of view we're seeing. I felt very antsy just trying to find out the answer to the main question, what is the Victory Project? It is revealed in the last 30 minutes which is very exciting, but it wasn't really paid off. It just revealed more questions at the end for me like, how did the Victory Project start and why? We only got the 'what' part. The end of the movie was unfortunate. They never explained anything about the background of the place and characters. I wish they would've ended it properly with some closure and relief for the audience.
The score of the film felt overused to me and quite loud. The theatre was vibrating over how loud it was. I think it was supposed to be used to convey a darker meaning but constantly replaying it kinda dulls the purpose of the score and the theme of the scene. Upon walking in, we all knew it was a psychological thriller so what was the point of having the same music play at an important scene. We knew it was an important scene already. The overuse of the score was a bit overkill.
Some things I did like in the movie were the set design, costumes, and makeup. The aesthetic of the film was very in tune with the time setting of the movie (the 1950s). The answer to the question about Alice's connection to the Victory Project was a really good twist. I wouldn't have predicted that at all since it was so out of the blue and uncommon. It definitely works for the Gen-Z and millenial generation.
To quote Harry Styles, this movie did feel like a movie. Besides me watching it in a theater, the story did follow the guidelines for a thriller and action movie. Was it a phenomenal movie? Probably not. It did feel like a nice movie but I don't expect it to win any awards for the story. It's just a mid-century woman breaking out of her bubble. That happens all the time in film and television. I would consider this movie a cultural phenomenon because of all the PR it got. That will go down in entertainment history I feel.
Overall, I would recommend this movie. It was entertaining and captivating. But not as an award contender. Just as a movie.
Rating: 7/10
