#StookiSees: Don't Worry Darling (2022)

Introducing Stööki Sëës 👀 …

#StookiSees is a new blog series written by members of the #STOOKIMOVEMENT that will be focusing on the latest culture, entertainment releases and events that we attend and rate.

Check out the second installment below ⬇️

Next in our review series - Don't Worry Darling - following Olivia Wilde's directorial debut Booksmart, Wilde's next film starring Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, and Chris Pine follows a young wife living in a company town who begins to believe there is a sinister secret being kept from them by the man who runs it. 

From a superficial perspective, there isn't anything egregiously wrong with this film. It takes a tried-and-true idea, utilising a tried-and-true theme, and executes it in a way that's entertaining enough. 

For instance the cinematography - which was entertaining enough that it made for a fairly fun cinematic viewing experience on a big screen. The styling was also a treat - particularly the retro, Stepford Wives-esque pieces worn by the women throughout. As far as actual filmmaking goes, Olivia Wilde’s direction shows some slivers of hope - I don’t necessarily subscribe to the idea that this film deserves all the hate it’s getting.

However, once any amount of thought is applied to the story, it begins to more evidently display its fundamental shortcomings.

For starters, I think the mystery of the narrative has a very confusing conclusion. Maybe there was a lack of forethought in the writing as it seemed the writing was unable to convey the overall composition properly. However, in either case, once the “big reveal” was shown, I had more questions than answers. Although the answer itself might be interesting in thought, I didn't quite enjoy what seemed to be its adaptation from thought to writing because it ignored almost every intellectual contradiction or basic implication that such a concept was likely to introduce.

Overall, I wouldn’t call this outright terrible. For what it has to offer, it’s fine. However, I’m not sure I can bring myself to call this something well-executed. The story is generic, the themes are overused, the answer to the mystery felt ill-written, and Harry Styles gives a performance which pales in comparison to his previous roles in films such as Dunkirk, for example. Despite Florence Pugh's outstanding performance, the overall feature can't be saved by her alone.

Listen to the original Don't Worry Darling Soundtrack here:

Stööki Sëës Elements:

Art - The style of cinematography was immersive and intriguing visually

Music - Retro/vintage music which complements the film with regards to the past films it emulates

Fashion - The women, particularly Florence Pugh’s character Alice

Stööki Sëës Rating:

Don't Worry Darling is available to watch nationally in UK cinemas and stream worldwide now on Amazon Prime

Join in on the conversation and let us know what you think in the comments. Do your ratings match ours?

If you would like to become a Stööki blog contributor please email info@stooki.co.uk