Don't Worry Darling (2022), directed by Olivia Wilde, debuted at the Venice International Film Festival in early September and is scheduled for wider release on September 23. A psychological thriller, the film follows Alice Chambers (Florence Pugh), a young 1950s housewife, as she uncovers the true nature of her husband Jack's (Harry Styles) job and their seemingly idyllic neighborhood. Thus far, the movie has received mixed reviews from critics.
The film's all-star cast is certainly a draw but not everyone will want to see it in theaters. Luckily, audiences have no shortage of options. Whether they are waiting for Don't Worry Darling to be released on streaming platforms or they would just rather see other films the cast and crew were involved in.
10 Booksmart Shares Its Director And A Screenwriter With Don't Worry Darling
Olivia Wilde's directorial debut, Booksmart (2019) is a comedy about two risk-averse, overachieving seniors (Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever) who discover their peers were able to party during high school and still get into top universities. Determined to have one wild night before graduation, they make every effort to attend a party, but things do not go quite as planned.
Booksmart received positive reviews and illustrated Wilde's feature-length directing chops. Additionally, Booksmart's screenwriter Katie Silberman also wrote Don't Worry Darling.
9 Dunkirk Stars Harry Styles
Dunkirk (2017) is based on the evacuation of Dunkirk during the Second World War. The film also stars Harry Styles, who plays Jack Chambers in Don't Worry Darling. However, where Don't Worry Darling is not based on a single, specific historical event, Dunkirk is largely historically accurate and populated with fictional or composite characters.
Critics were very impressed with Dunkirk, with many calling it director Christopher Nolan's best film. It scored eight Academy Award nominations—winning three—and eight BAFTA nominations, winning for Best Sound.
8 Don't Worry Darling And Rebecca Use Setting Similarly
Rebecca (1940) is a romantic psychological thriller like Don't Worry Darling. Furthermore, Alfred Hitchcock's film adaptation of the Daphne du Maurier novel of the same name also involves a husband (Laurence Olivier) keeping secrets from his young wife (Joan Fontaine).
Rebecca uses its setting to invoke unease, as does Don't Worry Darling. Manderley, the mansion where Rebecca's lead couple lives, is overwhelmingly lavish, concealing the terrors that once took place there. Victory, California, the company town where Don't Worry Darling is set, is likewise eerie in spite of its utopian veneer.
7 Little Women Also Addresses The Impact Of Sexism
Greta Gerwig's 2019 take on Louisa May Alcott's classic novel, Little Women, was a critical and box office success. Like Don't Worry Darling, it is a period piece starring Florence Pugh. However, it also stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Timothée Chalamet, Eliza Scanlon, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep.
Little Women is the second film Gerwig directed independently. Likewise, Don't Worry Darling is Wilde's second, feature-length, solo directing gig. Both films explore societal expectations for women in their respective eras, with Wilde describing Don't Worry Darling as "The Feminine Mystique on acid."
6 Gone Girl Is A Psychological Thriller About A Dysfunctional Couple
Gillian Flynn wrote both the 2012 novel Gone Girl and the screenplay for its 2014 film adaptation. Both the movie and the book are explorations of female rage and its main character's profound dissatisfaction with her seemingly perfect marriage.
Don't Worry Darling also illustrates how Alice and Jack's outwardly beautiful life actually conceals a dark underbelly. However, Gone Girl's Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) is the one pulling the strings and lying to her husband Nick (Ben Affleck), reversing the trope Don't Worry Darling is exploiting.
5 Gaslight Is A Classic With A Similar Premise
"Gaslighting" someone means making them question their reality. The term derives from the 1944 film Gaslight where Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer) undermines her wife's confidence in her sanity by hiding objects, and disrupting their house's gaslight and telling her she's imagining things.
The premise of Don't Worry Darling is quite similar to Gaslight's. Its leading man, Jack, tries to convince his wife, Alice, that there is nothing questionable about his job or their town. Even the film's title, the way Jack placates Alice is an example of "gaslighting."
4 Where The Crawdads Sing Is Another Recent Release
Where The Crawdads Sing (2022), released earlier this summer, follows Kya, the "Marsh Girl" (Daisy Edgar-Jones) as she learns to fend for herself in the North Carolina marshes after her family abandons her. As an adult, Kya is accused of murdering a former boyfriend who attempted to assault her, and the film's central mystery pertains to Kya's culpability or lack thereof.
Crawdads crosses over with Don't Worry Darling, since it is a romantic thriller. Critics gave both movies mixed reviews. Audience responses to Where The Crawdads Sing have been mostly positive, however.
3 How It Ends Also Features Wilde In A Supporting Role
How It Ends (2021) is a dramedy written, directed and produced by Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones. As in Don't Worry Darling, Olivia Wilde plays a supporting character.
How It Ends centers on Liza (Lister-Jones) as she takes stock of her life before a meteor collides with the earth. Like Don't Worry Darling, How It Ends is an allegory, though it represents a very different phenomenon—protocols enacted to curb the spread of COVID-19 in 2020—and it is also a much lighter movie.
2 Things Are Not What They Seem In The Truman Show
The Truman Show (1998) follows Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) who believes he is leading a normal life. In fact, he is the unsuspecting star of a reality series about his life. As he gets older, Truman's curiosity lead him to question the legitimacy of his reality.
The Truman Show spurred many discussions about simulated realities and metaphilosophy. No doubt Don't Worry Darling takes many cues from Truman, as both deal with worlds that are not quite what they appear to be.
1 Midsommar Is Remarkably Similar To Don't Worry Darling
Midsommar (2019) and Don't Worry Darling have a lot in common: Dysfunctional couple at the center? Check. Idyllic setting turns threatening? Check. Florence Pugh as the leading lady? Check.
Midsommar is a horror film, while DWD is more of a thriller. However, if viewers would rather not see DWD, Midsommar is a good alternative with a similar premise, as protagonist Dani (Pugh) discovers the cult behind the Swedish midsummer festival she is attending with her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor).