(Don't) Worry, Darling
November 13, 2022
Writer: Grace Gefsky
Editor: Abigail Peacock
In late September, Olivia Wilde released her widely anticipated psychological thriller, “Don’t Worry Darling.” The film takes place in “Victory,” a seemingly glorious and idealistic 1950s-esque society; a community filled with sunshine, drunken nights, loving marriages, and lifelong friends—until it is revealed that Victory is a utopian world controlled by its founder, Frank. In this world, the women are unknowingly imprisoned within the simulation by their husbands. When protagonist Alice unveils the contorted, restrictive reality of her life, the once harmonic relationships of the universe crumble.
Ultimately, Alice is given the choice to stay in the comfort of Victory or resort back to her stress induced life as a nurse. In the end, she chooses her own life, demonstrating the value in having independence and autonomy.
As a poster child for indecisiveness, it was eye opening to watch the intense uniformity of the women living in Victory. Each morning, the wife wakes up to see her husband off to work. Immediately after he leaves, she deep cleans the entire house from top to bottom for him. Her ballet class each afternoon reinforces aspects of control, and the radio she listens to on the bus home contains hidden messages regarding the importance of strict gender roles. The woman’s life is meticulously calculated to manipulate her into desiring traits that sustain the male gaze.
It is obvious that Frank, along with the rest of the men in Victory, believes that women are too dumb to conceptualize their own reality and are, thus, unworthy of cultivating their own basic autonomy. Frank’s innate lack of creativity and diversity in how each “couple” met and where each woman is from indicates how the Victory men underestimate women.
I constantly let others make decisions for me. In the past, I have labeled myself as “go with the flow.” Don’t Worry Darling, however, has helped me realize that cultivating my own path and choosing what is right for me is, in the end, far more important than devotedly trying to make others happy. Alice chose her own autonomy over the love of her life because she understood the privilege of independence. I am thankful to be able to create my own definition of womanhood, and although it may not always be perfect (much like life in utopian Victory), I will continue to value my own choices because they are mine, and mine alone.
