There was a time when it was believed that ‘Don’t worry dear’ could be one of the great films of the year. Olivia Wilde She had surprised in her directorial debut with ‘Super Nerds’ and her second feature film promised to be much more ambitious, also featuring a most striking cast. Then came her controversies and the narrative around her began to focus on it.
By the time ‘Don’t worry, dear’ could be seen at the last Venice Film Festival, the artistic quality of the film had been left in the background for the benefit of increasingly crazy rumours. And worst of all is that it is not very clear if that was good or bad, because the criticism did not accompany a film that reaches theaters almost mortally wounded. And I won’t be the one to vindicate it, because the only thing worth celebrating in it is the interpretation of Florence Pugh.
The basics of the film
The first big problem with ‘Don’t worry, dear’ is how obvious it is, something that can be circumvented in certain scenarios, but it is much more complicated to do it with a film that tries to give a strong presence to the mystery component. And it cannot be said that Wilde succeeds here, who generally seems more interested in achieving a visual finish that highlights the perfectionism of that separate society that it presents to us than in anything else.
For this reason, most of the characters are nothing more than pretty shells that initially invite you to think about something exciting but that when it comes to the truth rarely goes beyond the purely superficial. The only one who really manages to get out of that prevailing trend is Pugh, who proves once again why she is one of the best young actresses of our time.
It is true that Pugh is the great protagonist of the show, so it is logical that she has more time to develop her character, but it is his interpretation that amplifies a character that on paper seems too much of a design. There are moments that do contribute in the direction of highlighting the growing anguish that Alice is suffering, but usually they are not strong enough.
failed
What cannot be denied to ‘Don’t worry dear’ is a formal consistency for most of the footage, even managing to introduce dissonant elements in that universe without Wilde losing control of the situation. In return, that dystopian society that it presents feels all too familiar, both in terms of the use of life in the suburbs and in the obvious fact that we are in a place where humanity is conspicuous by its absence and almost seems like a sect. at the service of the character played by Chris Pine.
In fact, in that idea of the cult of the leader there are sinister notes that could have given another energy to the film if what I mentioned before did not happen, which is proposed and it seems that it will lead to something very stimulating that later never comes. And it is that ‘Don’t worry dear’ is a constant promise that comes to nothing in most cases and in the main one it leads to a final section in which the film flirts with ridicule on more than one occasion, also leaving the feeling of believing itself to be much more important and intelligent than it really is.
And it’s a shame that that happens, because it tends to coincide with the moments in which the script signed by Katie Silverman It ends up clarifying everything – I say ends because almost everything can be seen coming from a league away – and looks for a clear dramatic impact. That’s where ‘Don’t worry my dear’ suffers the most, as the above can be slightly frustrating, but at least it’s compact and you have Pugh to improve everything. Here not even she, as much as she remains the most remarkable, can lift the show, although she does make it more bearable.
In short
There will be those who say that we have focused too much on the controversies of ‘Don’t worry dear’ and that this has ended up doing irreversible damage to the film, but the truth is that she herself has made it clear that the only thing she has avoided that the word disappointment is the prevailing note is that the talk has focused on that other thing. at least nyou have the work of Florence Pugh, but the rest is somewhat bland in most cases and somewhat ridiculous in its final stretch.