I definitely think Obsession sits better with audiences because the concept is pretty simple and delivers what it set out to deliver, and I agree it was the expectations around Don't Worry Darling that triggered its downfall, but the elephant in the room here is rape as a theme.
I think Obsession struck a nerve because it didn't shy away from the obvious implication that this type of violation of bodily autonomy would be rape, whereas Don't Worry Darling handled the implication... awkwardly. The media scandal I remember the most clearly was surrounding the sex scene between Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, specifically around its use in the trailer and in the pr campaign. During a pre-release interview, Olivia Wilde referenced the scene to talk about how the movie centered "female pleasure". It was an odd comment that looked a lot worse in hindsight, but I think this reflected, to me, that the main flaw I had with Don't Worry Darling was that it kinda danced around the idea of rape as a byproduct of its concept. This could also just be downstream of the thriller/horror genre difference, but I do think it contributed to the feeling that Don't Worry Darling avoided the more complex implications of its concept.
omg i hadn't heard about that comment from Wilde that's awful. it reminds me of how the press for It Ends With Us was treating it as a fluffy rom-com when it is literally the complete opposite 😭
It seems like the pr campaign wanted to capitalize on harry styles fame and so they put his appeal at the center of the early advertising - and if there is any truth to florence pugh being unhappy with the release, its likely mostly due to that: “When it’s reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it’s not why we do it. It’s not why I’m in this industry ... Obviously, the nature of hiring the most famous pop star in the world, you’re going to have conversations like that. That’s just not what I’m going to be discussing because [this movie is] bigger and better than that. And the people who made it are bigger and better than that.”
On a more speculative note, I personally think Olivia Wilde may have originally envisioned a more erotic-thriller toned version of the movie that just never came to fruition, for whatever reason. Thats just #mytheory, but it makes a lot of early comments/interviews make 1000x more sense.
Really interesting article! I think this is also why we should herald unknown actors and directors because we don’t have preconceived notions about them yet and therefore can just be the characters
I remember feeling frustrated by the press around Don't Worry Darling - I loved the film and thought it had such important thematic material, but it did feel like everyone just went in decided that they already hated it! So interesting to link it to films like Companion and Obsession, all of which do share a similar thread of theme but have gotten different levels of popular reception. I do think there's also something to be said about the fact that the two films where you are more in the perspective of the female characters have gotten more criticism - women's struggles and fears being presented through the perspective of a man will probably always get more men in seats, and then I do think they're more likely to praise it as being "revolutionary"
Also an element of the underdog to it? Don’t Worry Darling had major stars and the director cast her boyfriend which probably pissed people off. Obsession being a low budget indie seems to add to the narrative of its success.
Incredible post! I loved obsession and am now baffled I didn’t clock this comparison to Don’t Worry Darling - which I also love [loled at your included Letterboxd review]. Very coherent and well written explanation - I normally just spit out that the media circus before don’t worry darling sadly ran it into the ground. After seeing backrooms, which I didn’t enjoy, I also wonder if this push of young male YouTubers are going to have an audience that will follow them blindly to the grave with support.
honestly im so glad I wasn't that caught up with the world when DWD came out because i COMPLETELY missed the media circus and had literally no idea until after i watched the film so I was watching it with untainted baby eyes hahaha. that is also such an interesting point about young male YouTubers as directors as well. I did enjoy Backrooms a lot but I do agree that similar to the "white boy of the month" train, people are gonna start hyping these sort of directors just for the sake of it
Great article although I would push back on the quality comparison between the two films. The convoluted high concept and retrograde fifties setting of the VR world just don’t add up in Don’t Worry Darling. Obsession’s script is stronger because its “real world” setting makes its intentions and themes both more ominous and relatable. While both films deal with similar terrain, Don’t Worry Darling suffers from a much weaker script and in many ways feels far more heavy handed than Obsession.
Such an interesting comparison! I haven't seen Don't Worry Darling, but now I'm considering it before I watch Obsession again later this week.
I think the primary artists behind the camera are also a factor for the differing reactions- Obsession was directed and written by Curry Barker, while Don't Worry Darling was directed by Olivia Wilde and written by Katie Silberman, both of whom are women. That difference between who is portraying these societal standards and how they write their perspectives into each story is likely affecting how people respond to them, as well (thinking of instances of women in abusive situations being berated or not believed when they speak out).
that is such a good point I didn't pick up on!! I think it also ties a bit into what I was saying about how Alice in DWD is much more active and conscious in her power to escape compared to Nikki and Sarah who I do feel you can tell were written from a man's perspective
Posts like this are why I love substack, thank you!!
It makes me think about Companion, too. It touches on incels and their fantasy of a gf who's obsessed with them. I think Obsession the movie came out in the perfect storm and really took off!
this might be the best take i’ve seen on this so far. i loved don’t worry darling when it came out, and i didn’t clock the connection until i read this. this is so smart and well thought out.
also worth mentioning, i’m so baffled by the “ACTUALLY it was NIKKI who’s was the victim” rhetoric around this movie because duh??? it’s concerning how that has become the point of discussion around this movie instead of discussing some of the deeper levels…you did a great job of diving into this!
I'd deffo give it a rewatch! i was a bit iffy about keeping in that paragraph because I do see how the passivity of Nikki and Sarah is sort of essential but I just personally prefer a girlboss 😭
Yes I get that! I think they tried to make Nikki as real and multi-dimensional as they could in those first 20 minutes but even with the effort it’s not enough. But, you’re right, it’s still part of the essential message
I definitely think Obsession sits better with audiences because the concept is pretty simple and delivers what it set out to deliver, and I agree it was the expectations around Don't Worry Darling that triggered its downfall, but the elephant in the room here is rape as a theme.
I think Obsession struck a nerve because it didn't shy away from the obvious implication that this type of violation of bodily autonomy would be rape, whereas Don't Worry Darling handled the implication... awkwardly. The media scandal I remember the most clearly was surrounding the sex scene between Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, specifically around its use in the trailer and in the pr campaign. During a pre-release interview, Olivia Wilde referenced the scene to talk about how the movie centered "female pleasure". It was an odd comment that looked a lot worse in hindsight, but I think this reflected, to me, that the main flaw I had with Don't Worry Darling was that it kinda danced around the idea of rape as a byproduct of its concept. This could also just be downstream of the thriller/horror genre difference, but I do think it contributed to the feeling that Don't Worry Darling avoided the more complex implications of its concept.
omg i hadn't heard about that comment from Wilde that's awful. it reminds me of how the press for It Ends With Us was treating it as a fluffy rom-com when it is literally the complete opposite 😭
It seems like the pr campaign wanted to capitalize on harry styles fame and so they put his appeal at the center of the early advertising - and if there is any truth to florence pugh being unhappy with the release, its likely mostly due to that: “When it’s reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it’s not why we do it. It’s not why I’m in this industry ... Obviously, the nature of hiring the most famous pop star in the world, you’re going to have conversations like that. That’s just not what I’m going to be discussing because [this movie is] bigger and better than that. And the people who made it are bigger and better than that.”
On a more speculative note, I personally think Olivia Wilde may have originally envisioned a more erotic-thriller toned version of the movie that just never came to fruition, for whatever reason. Thats just #mytheory, but it makes a lot of early comments/interviews make 1000x more sense.
Really interesting article! I think this is also why we should herald unknown actors and directors because we don’t have preconceived notions about them yet and therefore can just be the characters
exactly!!! i love seeing a movie where I recognise absolutely nobody lol
I remember feeling frustrated by the press around Don't Worry Darling - I loved the film and thought it had such important thematic material, but it did feel like everyone just went in decided that they already hated it! So interesting to link it to films like Companion and Obsession, all of which do share a similar thread of theme but have gotten different levels of popular reception. I do think there's also something to be said about the fact that the two films where you are more in the perspective of the female characters have gotten more criticism - women's struggles and fears being presented through the perspective of a man will probably always get more men in seats, and then I do think they're more likely to praise it as being "revolutionary"
definitely its so sad that to get people to care about women's experiences they need a man to make it clear for them 👎👎
Also an element of the underdog to it? Don’t Worry Darling had major stars and the director cast her boyfriend which probably pissed people off. Obsession being a low budget indie seems to add to the narrative of its success.
Incredible post! I loved obsession and am now baffled I didn’t clock this comparison to Don’t Worry Darling - which I also love [loled at your included Letterboxd review]. Very coherent and well written explanation - I normally just spit out that the media circus before don’t worry darling sadly ran it into the ground. After seeing backrooms, which I didn’t enjoy, I also wonder if this push of young male YouTubers are going to have an audience that will follow them blindly to the grave with support.
honestly im so glad I wasn't that caught up with the world when DWD came out because i COMPLETELY missed the media circus and had literally no idea until after i watched the film so I was watching it with untainted baby eyes hahaha. that is also such an interesting point about young male YouTubers as directors as well. I did enjoy Backrooms a lot but I do agree that similar to the "white boy of the month" train, people are gonna start hyping these sort of directors just for the sake of it
Great article although I would push back on the quality comparison between the two films. The convoluted high concept and retrograde fifties setting of the VR world just don’t add up in Don’t Worry Darling. Obsession’s script is stronger because its “real world” setting makes its intentions and themes both more ominous and relatable. While both films deal with similar terrain, Don’t Worry Darling suffers from a much weaker script and in many ways feels far more heavy handed than Obsession.
Such an interesting comparison! I haven't seen Don't Worry Darling, but now I'm considering it before I watch Obsession again later this week.
I think the primary artists behind the camera are also a factor for the differing reactions- Obsession was directed and written by Curry Barker, while Don't Worry Darling was directed by Olivia Wilde and written by Katie Silberman, both of whom are women. That difference between who is portraying these societal standards and how they write their perspectives into each story is likely affecting how people respond to them, as well (thinking of instances of women in abusive situations being berated or not believed when they speak out).
that is such a good point I didn't pick up on!! I think it also ties a bit into what I was saying about how Alice in DWD is much more active and conscious in her power to escape compared to Nikki and Sarah who I do feel you can tell were written from a man's perspective
an interesting parallel! I enjoyed Don't Worry Darling but not to the same extent as Obsession, now I want to rewatch the former to remember why.
Posts like this are why I love substack, thank you!!
It makes me think about Companion, too. It touches on incels and their fantasy of a gf who's obsessed with them. I think Obsession the movie came out in the perfect storm and really took off!
definitely I think I mentioned Companion in passing there's just sooo many movies with similar themes
OK, I will watch Don’t Worry Darling. Wasn’t even on my radar but as a horror fan Obsession was a delight. You peaked my interest!
thanks so much!! id definitely give DWD a watch but it is a tad less horror and more psychological thriller
so well articulated! thank you for sharing, i loved ur article.
thanks so much!!
this might be the best take i’ve seen on this so far. i loved don’t worry darling when it came out, and i didn’t clock the connection until i read this. this is so smart and well thought out.
also worth mentioning, i’m so baffled by the “ACTUALLY it was NIKKI who’s was the victim” rhetoric around this movie because duh??? it’s concerning how that has become the point of discussion around this movie instead of discussing some of the deeper levels…you did a great job of diving into this!
thanks so much!! yeah all the rhetoric literally makes me roll my eyes every time I see one it's so baffling 😭😭
loved this!! so well put!
Interesting comparison! I’ll be honest - I had completely forgotten about Don’t Worry Darling. But I do remember liking it back when I saw it.
I especially appreciate your compare/contrast in how women characters are illustrated in both films
I'd deffo give it a rewatch! i was a bit iffy about keeping in that paragraph because I do see how the passivity of Nikki and Sarah is sort of essential but I just personally prefer a girlboss 😭
Yes I get that! I think they tried to make Nikki as real and multi-dimensional as they could in those first 20 minutes but even with the effort it’s not enough. But, you’re right, it’s still part of the essential message
the writing is significantly better in obsession imo!! I enjoyed both films tho! both are in my Incel Movie list on letterboxd!
combining two of my favorite films omg