Don’t Worry Darling appeared to be many people’s most anticipated film of 2022. The film follows Jack and Alice, a seemingly perfect couple living in a picturesque neighborhood that appears similar to the 1950s, although the time period is unclear. The audience watches Alice make discoveries about her life that turn her world upside down, turning the movie from a cute romantic comedy into a psychological thriller.

Stellar performances by talented actors like Florence Pugh and Chris Pine make this movie worth a watch. Many big names are featured on the cast list, including Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, and Gemma Chan. The sets are beautiful, and the wardrobe departments do an amazing job of depicting the 1950s style. The music is unsettling and fits the movie perfectly.

However, that’s about as far as the praise can go. Although Harry Styles’ acting debut was heavily anticipated by fans and critics alike, the reception wasn’t great. His performance is underwhelming alongside the other award-winning actors featured in the film. The plot is all over the place, going from zero to one hundred and back again within a matter of minutes. The story is hard to take in and even more difficult to understand, making the experience more confusing than enjoyable. It can be fun when a movie causes intense thought, but this one just causes too much uncertainty. 

Scenes involving repeating creepy images and sounds do their job of providing a hypnotizing effect, but it’s also just disorienting and doesn’t add much to the movie. The ending leaves the entire story up to the viewer’s interpretation but leaves the plot with multiple holes and dead ends. 

Overall, different people will take varying messages from the film. The overall themes involve oppression within marriage, misogyny, and gender roles. Don’t Worry Darling does a good job of covering these topics at the cost of being a good watch. Fans of psychological thrillers may enjoy the confusing aspects of the overall story. Don’t Worry Darling will begin streaming on HBO Max on November 7th, just six weeks after its release in theaters.