Director Olivia Wilde's mystery thriller “Don't Worry Darling” stars Harry Styles, Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, and Gemma Chan. Pugh plays Alice, a housewife in 1950s suburban America who begins to suspect something is wrong with life in Victory. As Alice refuses to conform to expectations, she experiences a surge in mysterious incidents. She is determined to uncover the truth lurking in the shadows.

“Don't Worry Darling” has been hyped up as an original mystery that would blow our socks off, but it feels more like an undercooked version of “The Stepford Wives” with social satire that's frustratingly shallow. Much of the first half (probably more like 2/3rds) of the film feels like it's there purely to indulge in 1950s nostalgia. I'll admit that in that regard, “Don't Worry Darling” excels. The set design, costumes, and Florence Pugh all look good enough to eat. The decadently retro lifestyle of Victory looks incredibly stunning on screen. At a certain point, however, the indulgence lingers for much too long, and with nothing driving the narrative forward, the experience becomes tedious. As an audience, we repeatedly watch Alice experience the feeling that something is off in her world, but with no real clues as to what this unknown dread could be.

When the central pivot point of the film finally comes, Wilde spends virtually no time exploring what would be thought-provoking themes: gender roles, misogyny and control, family dynamics, etc. Instead of exploring any thematic richness, she opts for a dull and illogical chase scene that fails to bring the film to a satisfying conclusion. In the end, I left the theatre feeling mixed. For all of Pugh's radiance and all the technical prowess on display, “Don't Worry Darling” comes across as a frustratingly hollow experience and ultimately feels like a massive missed opportunity.

— 3 / 5 ⭐