You can see they wanted to make this deep movie, but just couldn’t write a story to match their ambition… without Florence it would be unwatchable

I remember sitting in theaters after learning about the "twist" thinking to myself how it's like a worse USS Callister. Thank you for this commentary!

I think another issue with this film was that they didn’t actually know what story they were trying to tell, or why they should be telling any of those stories at all. What do they have to say? The real answer: absolutely nothing. I think there were some interesting ideas presented, but the writing wasn’t strong enough to follow through on any of them. Even the imagery & symbolism of the film is lackluster when you realize what it’s “supposed” to be understood as. I think that if it wasn’t for the behind the scenes drama of the film, nobody would’ve been talking about the film nearly as much, nor would people have been interested in it much after those first previews and the reviews coming out. Apparently there were drafts of the script that actually give more substance, nuance, and coherency to the film, but those were rewritten and rejected until we got exactly what we got. I want to see one of those other drafts actually made into a film where we could’ve gotten something more than this.

This is what happens when you’re more concerned about some theme or message than good storytelling that makes sense. It’s easier to want to make a competent pro-women anti-patriarchy movie than it is to actually do so. Barbie ran into the same sort of flaws, the only difference is that it’s fun which makes up for a lot.

Thank you for pointing out the similarities with suspiria (2018)! I feel like Olivia and the cinematographers saw the flashes of scary clips and images in suspiria and just copied that, forgetting suspiria is a surreal supernatural horror and their film is a lightened sci fi. It really felt like a director and team that had seen the conventions of horror movies, but had no understanding of why and didn't really respect horror. I really agree with your point about moving the twist forward, you'd have to either not seen or read anything about the film to not know the twist going in, so the hook shouldn't have been 'what's happening here' but 'why and how is this happening'

Completely agree. It's like instead of Neo waking up from The Matrix we watch him be Mr. Anderson for the entire movie 🙄 Wasted opportunity.

This movie felt like watching the extended edition of the trailer to me

"it wanted to be black swan but turned out to be last night in soho" makes perfect sense to me. I share the critisim of last night in soho and still enjoyed a lot about the film. like matt smith being an absolute piece of human garbage. but it's definetly a mixed bag. haven't seen don't worry darling yet. but being warned about its shortcommings I might actually be able to enjoy it without being heartbroken about the wasted potential. or not. I'll find out when/if I should get round to watching it. I sort of want a good tacky film. one that embraces the tackyness. a tack-fest...

I remember watching it for the first time and having that lackluster feeling of knowing there were seeds there, but they didn’t push the ideas far enough. Almost like in a fear to not have her second film flop, she didn’t let the story fully cook, and as a result, it kinda flopped (it also feels like one of those movies the studio heads got too involved in and neutered it, not that they did, but it’s the same vibe). And it’s frustrating because there are details in the film that clearly were intentional. For example, everything in the simulation is mid century modern 1950s coded but it’s not actually historically accurate, because the men creating and living in it don’t want to live in the real 1950s, they want to live in their delusions of the 1950s. So that means that all of the sets, props, costumes, and m&h have to consciously show that and it’s why it almost feels like you’re watching an Anthropologie ad, because that’s the average alpha male’s comprehension of 1950s aesthetics. That’s a LOT of money and people to go into that detail. I also remember thinking, it would’ve been much more interesting if in the dance studio mirror smashing scene, if she witnesses the head smashing, screams, startles everyone, then have Gemma Chan asking Florence if she’s alright over there and everyone else is clearly undisturbed, and Florence cautiously goes back to normal. Then later, have Harry pluck a shard of mirror from her hair and ask what it is, Florence flashes back to the mirror but there’s intercuts of her smashing the mirror as well, she tells Harry it’s nothing but he looks concerned. There’s more layers going on with that than what we got and that’s kind of the issue with the story is it wants to be a multi-watch movie, but it ends up as you only really have to watch the trailer to get the story… and it could’ve been so much more. Instead of filming during Covid, it would’ve been nice if they’d refined the script for another year or two…

Love the delivery! Feels really natural. Great essay!!!

it wanted to hit and be so subversive and instead it was like...wandavision but rated R

Keep up the content - did not expect to find a fellow Nu Zelinder making video essays on movies, ka pai!

❤️ 💙 💜 💖 💗 another awesome video.

I know I'm literally so late to this, I just discovered you the other day and I've been bingeing your channel. But, I think that your complaint on the imagery actually hits the nail on the head for the overarching problem of this movie-- Olivia Wilde is an inexperienced, professionally immature director. That's not a bad thing for her to be inexperienced, it's just the reality. She reached for a Darren Aronofsky film, like you said, and she's just not experienced enough to pull that off, so it fell flat and felt really juvenile instead of impactful. It felt like she wanted to make an Important Movie (TM), and I feel like when a writer or director approaches a movie that way, it ends up just feeling full of itself and failing to capture actual meaning (like Poor Things, imo). It's almost like, "Aw, sweetie-- good try. Maybe someday." Couple that with her enthusiastically patting herself on the back in interviews for the sex scenes and how "feminist" they were, when Florence clearly didn't feel the same way, and it just-- ick. Some humility would really go a long way.

Love your videos as someone who just discovered your channel! Unrelated to your amazing videos: What is that blue nail polish you're wearing?? It looks great.

That red light at the end made me chuckle. Great video, subscribed!

Another brilliant video and made me think about a few things I hadn’t already. I honestly think Olivia Wilde could’ve weathered the storm of this film if so many controversies hadn’t come out and her own thoughtless comments hadn’t nailed her coffin shut. I don’t know or particularly care about the alleged feud between her and Florence Pugh, but I certainly don’t think it did her or the film any favours. And then her doubling down saying the inspiration for Chris Pine’s character was Dr. Jordan Peterson and calling him a ‘pseudo intellectual’ and ‘the incel king’ just made things go from bad to worse. It’s perfectly fine to use controversial figures as inspirations for characters but just keep it to yourself or you invite the wrath of their devoted and sometimes aggressive fan base. I really understand the desire to mock and laugh at incels and their ridiculous, paranoid mentalities. Truly I do. But once all that has passed, I really feel the better idea would be to try and help them and get them away from this paranoid and dangerous way of thinking. I don’t feel anyone is beyond help and any lesson can be unlearned. If we as a society and the media keep depicting these people as lonely, paranoid, women hating, marginalised and sometimes violent lunatics, the problem is only going to get worse.

This video is brilliant, thank you for such a great analysis and comparison!

I love the movie it was so messed up loved it

My brain was firing off so fast walking out of the theater. For however she’s been living in this simulation she’s been a missing person in the real world. How did Harry cover that up with her family/friends/job? Does everyone think she’s dead? Did she make it out of the apartment? Her legs would be pretty weak. This is one of those movies that people I knew got annoyed with me cause “it’s just a movie” but it’s a bad movie that could’ve been good

I know you do film but Lordy if you could read wives and talk about it it’s one of the most haunting stories as a woman I’ve read. I wish they would make a tv show mini series of it. The movie does not do it justice

you totally summed up my thoughts on dwd

Matthew Libatique did the cinematography of Black Swan and Don't Worry Darling.

Great video, thanks!

olay but this is why i dont wat h trailers. theyre beaitiful and a different kind of art. but they spoil the moviw

👍✌️🙏❤️✨

Idk why you keep saying “right wing”, at what point did they ever show anything to do with his political views? Are you just assuming he must be a republican cuz he’s a bad person…?