Serving up “Stepford Wives” vibes with a heavy sprinkling of Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar,” the steamy trailer for Olivia Wilde’s much-anticipated sophomore feature “Don’t Worry Darling” is here.
Florence Pugh and the pop singer play a couple in crisis in the upcoming psychological thriller from the “Booksmart” director ― who may have some real-life expertise to bring to the table, given her own very public relationship strife as of late.
The trailer opens with Alice (Pugh) and Jack (Styles) in apparently happy times, living in 1950s suburban bliss with a number of neighbors, including characters played by Wilde, Nick Kroll and Kate Berlant.
It’s not a typical neighborhood, though: It seems to be some kind of experimental planned community for men working on the top-secret Victory Project... and, of course, for their adoring wives. The exact nature of the Victory Project is unclear, but it appears to involve heavy machinery, redacted documents and people running through the desert in jumpsuits.
“All of you wives, we men, we ask a lot,” says Chris Pine, playing some kind of charismatic CEO figure. “We ask for strength, food at home, a house cleaned ― and discretion above all else.”
As other wives begin to question the sinister underpinnings of the community, the trailer takes a darker turn, and offers flashes of Pugh and Styles’ intense and orally fixated lovemaking sessions.
“Everyone is acting like I’m crazy, and I’m not crazy,” Pugh exclaims, as the trailer comes to a dizzying finish of quick-cut ominous images.
At her CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas last week, Wilde described the feature as “a love letter to movies that push the boundaries of our imagination,” citing films like “The Matrix,” “Inception” and “The Truman Show” as major influences. (The trailer also unavoidably brings to mind “Midsommar,” what with all the Florence Pugh being gaslit and making her now-famous horrified face.)
“I want you to imagine a life where you have everything you could want,” Wilde told the CinemaCon crowd, per Variety. “Not just material, tangible things... like a beautiful house, perfect weather and gorgeous cars. But also the things that really matter, like true love or the perfect partner or real trusted friendships and a purpose that feels meaningful.”
“What would it take for you to give up that life, that perfect life? What are you really willing to sacrifice to do what’s right?” she continued. “Are you willing to dismantle the system that’s designed to serve you?”
While on stage at the event, the director was shockingly served with legal papers from her ex-fiancé, Jason Sudeikis, pertaining to the custody of their two children. After separating from the “Ted Lasso” star, Wilde has since embarked on a romance with Styles, whose performance in the film she praised as “truly a revelation.”
“Don’t Worry Darling,” which also stars Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Dita Von Teese and Sydney Chandler, is set to hit theaters Sept. 23.
Watch the official trailer below.