This article contains spoilers for Don’t Worry DarlingThe concept ofutopian and dystopian worldsis a popular concept in Hollywood filmmaking. FromA Clockwork Orange,Avengers: Endgame,The Hunger Games,The Village, and Pleasantville,the list is endless. Some of these films often utilize themes or scenarios from their preceding source material to comment on social constructs, as is the case with Olivia Wilde’sDon’t Worry Darling. While clever in its narrative framework,Don’t Worry Darlingrecyclesconcepts inThe MatrixandThe Stepford Wives, and in many ways, is the perfect combination of both films.
The Stepford Wife Lifestyle
The “Stepford Wife"lifestyle is prevalent inDon’t Worry Darling. Alice Chambers lives a lavish lifestyle in Victory, California alongside her husband, Jack Chambers. Similarly to Alice, all wives in Victory spend most of their time at home while their husbands are away working for Victory Headquarters. The wives routines are consistent: wake up, housework, socialize among each other; dinner, sleep, repeat. Despite the picturesque community Victory offers its citizens, Alice suspects that there’s more than meets the eye, much like Joanna Eberhart inThe Stepford Wives. But unlike Joanna, Alice is completely unaware of the horrific reality behind her cognitive dissonance.
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Similarly toThe Stepford Wives,a few wives in Victory are aware of what’s happening in their idyllic community. When Margaret is taken away for treatment following her son’s death, Alice notices a drastic change upon her return; Margaret claims her son was taken from her by Victory when she discovered their secret. When Alice eventually discovers the truth about Victory’s foundation and Jack’s involvement, she confronts Bunny, who reveals that she willingly took part in the project to reunite with her deceased children.
The Twist: Emasculation
Dont Worry Darling’s twist is the crossover betweenThe Stepford WivesintoThe Matrixterritory. InThe Matrix, Neo’s universe is nothing more than a virtual reality simulation used to control humanity by intelligent machines.Don’t Worry Darlingappliesa psychological take on the groundworkThe Matrixestablished. When Alice is taken to Victory Headquarters to be reprogrammed, she has flashbacks to her life in present day 2022. Her actual name is Alice Warren, a surgeon who supports herself and her partner, Jack. Jack believes Alice is unhappy with her life and upon discovering the Victory Project online, he proceeds to abduct Alice to trap her mind inside Victory’s simulated universe. WhileThe Matrix’sunderlying theme is human disconnect from the dangers of advancing technology,Don’t Worry Darlingdwells into the extremes of perceived emasculation in our modern society.
Jack yearns for the traditional male role of 1950s America and the power it gave men over women: men provided financial stability for their home in exchange for complete control of their wife’s expenses, whereabouts, and in many cases, their autonomy. Alice being their home’s sole provider is something Jack finds unacceptable, while he himself puts in no effort to better himself professionally. TheVictory Project is metaphoricalof everyone who wants an easy, and often selfish, alternative to long term success over investing hard work like Alice and so many other career-oriented women do.
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Power-Struggle
The major connection betweenDon’t Worry Darling,The Stepford Wives, andThe Matrixis power-struggle.InThe Matrix,its humanity versus the machines; inThe Stepford Wives, its husband versus wife; inDon’t Worry Darling;its traditional gender roles versus their evolution.Don’t Worry Darlinghits close to homedue to its accurate portrayal of modern dysfunctional relationships. In a society where women can pursue any desired career, the “stay at home wife” role has lost its glamour. In hindsight, the only perceivable problem with Alice and Jack’s relationship is Jack himself; he wallows in self-pity and redirects the blame to Alice for being absent due to her career. While the Victory Project seemingly allows them to spend more time together, the reality is that Jack has stripped Alice completely of her power: her decisions, her mind, her body, her entire being. It is never about making life easier for her; it is a tactic for absolute power over her.
The Perfect World
From vibrant homes to fluorescent outfits and settings, Victory’s wives are situated in a picturesque world.Just likeThe MatrixandStepford Wives, this perfection stands on a superficial level, but it reiterates a general theme in all three films: the perfect world. InThe Matrix, the machines aim for a perfect world where humans are only valued as subordinates;The Stepford Wivespresents a perfect world where women are programmed to conform to domesticated suburban life.Don’t Worry Darlingpresents a perfect world for those longing to reverse the progression of gender norms; Victory may be simulated, but the reality its wives are subjected to is derived from their husbands desires. A haunting take considering American society mirrored Victory only a few decades ago.
