Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Don’t Worry Darling!
The ending of Don’t Worry Darling does not tie up every loose end and story thread, as the original thriller leaves some massive unanswered questions and mysteries unresolved. Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart followup is incredibly different from the movie that made her look like one of Hollywood’s best new directors. Don’t Worry Darling is a psychological thriller starring Florence Pugh as Alice, a 1950s housewife who comes to realize that there is something off about her life in Victory and the mysterious Victory Project behind the town’s purpose and leader. It is only upon looking closer at the world and her surroundings that Alice begins to question the very nature of her reality.
Don’t Worry Darling takes its time unraveling the truth about what is happening in the desert utopian city of Victory. After a series of hallucinations and witnessing the suicide of a neighbor, there is a growing belief that Alice might be losing her mind. The further she pushes for answers, the more confused she gets. It is not until later on that Chris Pine’s Frank teases her about her suspicions and Alice comes to learn the truth. She realizes that Victory is completely fake and begins to remember fragments of her original life in the real world, which includes the state of her relationship with Jack, played by Eternals‘ Harry Styles. This revelation leads to some astounding developments as Alice attempts to break free of the Victory Project program.
Alice’s search for the truth in Don’t Worry Darling is only made more confusing for her and audiences thanks to a number of developments that occur. While the movie does answer the big question about what the Victory Project is, there are plenty of other mysteries that Olivia Wilde’s film does not directly answer. Instead, she leaves audiences in a place where they need to decipher what was real and how certain events do or do not make sense. Here are Don’t Worry Darling‘s biggest unanswered questions and mysteries.
Was Don’t Worry Darling’s Plane Crash Another Alice Hallucination?
One of Don’t Worry Darling‘s biggest mysteries revolves around the plane crash that Alice witnesses early on in Olivia Wilde’s controversial movie. She is the only one who watches the red plane fly through the sky and supposedly crash in the mountains. Alice never finds the crash site to confirm that the plane was real, which creates the possibility that it was one of her hallucinations. Don’t Worry Darling does make a subtle connection between the plane and the red toy plane that belonged to Margaret’s son. In both cases, the plane led to the women discovering that something was off with Victory and the Victory Project. As for why Alice had this hallucination, that is still up for debate. But, it would not make much sense for the plane to have been real unless it originated from a very different part of the Victory Project program.
What Happens To Alice After Leaving Victory Project?
It is also worth discussing what happens to Alice after Don’t Worry Darling‘s ending. She is successful in leaving the Victory Project, as the gasp heard right as the title card and credits begin confirm that Florence Pugh’s character woke up. However, it is important ro remember that her character would wake up strapped to a bed with no feasible way of getting out. Her dead husband is also lying right next to her too. Don’t Worry Darling does not reveal if she is able to get herself freed from the straps, but that is likely very important. Everyone knows that Alice left the Matrix-like simulation and returned to the real world, giving her a chance to reveal what is actually going on and get it shut down. That could mean people involved with the Victory Project will come after her quickly. Of course, if she cannot free herself from the straps and locks, she could die of starvation or thirst before anyone gets there.
How Does Victory Project Kill Men But Can’t Kill Women?
Olivia Wilde’s movie makes a point of calling out that if men die inside the Victory Project, they die in real life. Don’t Worry Darling also indicates that this is not possible for women. That raises a major question about why the program can kill the men but not the women. The most likely explanation is that it is tied back to the responsibility the men like Harry Styles and Chris Pine’s characters take on to allow them both to participate in the program. The men have to go through an interview/iniatition process to get accepted and learn what it really means to join the Victory Project. It would seem that in addition to getting the technology needed to participate, each man could also have a kill switch added. This would be a way to give the people behind the Victory Project more power, as it encourages the men to do what they are told and gives the program a fail safe. But since the women do not participate in the project freely, the men might not be qualified to give the women the same kill switch.
Do People Age Inside Don’t Worry Darling’s Victory Project?
Another of Don’t Worry Darling‘s mysteries is in regard to if time progresses in the simulation and people age. Since Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh’s movie takes place over a short amount of time, there is no opportunity for this to be revealed. But, the artificial nature of this reality means that the people do not need to age inside the Victory Project. This could create questions over time for the women, but it is likely that raising such a concern would result in claims that they were struggling mentally. Don’t Worry Darling does offer one potential hint that its participants do not age, as it is remarked that one of Alice’s neighbors is always pregnant. While that could be a joke from Bunny about a growing family, it also could be a fact since she knows the truth about Victory Project.
How Does Bunny Know The Truth About Don’t Worry Darling?
Speaking of Bunny, one of the big Don’t Worry Darling unanswered questions comes in the finale when it is revealed that Olivia Wilde’s character knows the Victory Project reality is fake. The movie does not address how she knows the truth or when she learned the valuable information. It is possible that Bunny knew the entire time that she and her husband have been participants. She tells Alice that the reason she is okay with living in a fake world is because this one still has her kids. While it would be a break from what seems like the program’s normal practices, it is even possible that Bunny is the one who initiated her and her husband’s participation as a way to get their kids back.
What Caused Don’t Worry Darling’s Earthquakes In Victory?
A recurring mystery in Don’t Worry Darling is what causes the earthquakes that repeatedly rock Victory. The movie’s earthquakes happen throughout the film’s story, but they are always played off as a sign of what the Victory Project is up to and something that is not an issue for Don’t Worry Darling‘s town. Understandably, this leads to speculation that weaponry could be what the men are working on. That does not line up with what is revealed about the project, meaning Don’t Worry Darling‘s earthquakes must be something else. One possible explanation is that it is a side effect of when someone leaves or enters the program. The earthquakes never happen when the guys are around, and since the girls are so used to them, the idea that they are a routine occurrence makes sense.
Why Does Shelley Kill Frank? What Will She Do With Victory Project?
There will also likely be questions surrounding why Shelley kills Frank in Don’t Worry Darling‘s ending. The movie does not do much to set up that Eternals star Gemma Chan’s character is unhappy with this life, as it instead seems that she is very compliant with her role in Victory Project. Her turn on Frank after Alice realizes the truth marks a surprising turn for Shelley, but it is possible that she only now has woken up to her reality. There is also a chance that Shelley killing Frank is tied to her having her own aspirations for the program. After she stabs her husband, she remarks that it is now her turn to be in charge, indicating she has plans for Victory Project’s future. It is unclear what that would entail, but giving women the power would make sense.
Why Did Don’t Worry Darling’s Streetlights Start Exploding?
Another Don’t Worry Darling unanswered question might pop into viewers minds as the streetlights start exploding in Victory. This happens in Florence Pugh’s new movie after Alice learns the truth and potentially begins connecting with the other women and letting them know the truth without any verbal communication. The best explanation for Don’t Worry Darling‘s exploding lights is that it is a sign of the Victory Project’s program breaking. In that case, the lights explode could symbolize the light bulbs going off in the minds of the women about what is really happening.
Who Are Don’t Worry Darling’s Red Suit Men?
Olivia Wilde’s movie indicates that everyone in the Victory Project are real life people, but no explanation is ever given for Don’t Worry Darling‘s red suit men. It is not clear if Don’t Worry Darling‘s red suit men are real people who also are part of the Victory Project and hired to serve as the world’s protectors or if they could be artificial programs, similar to The Matrix‘s Agents. Whenever something goes wrong in Victory, mysterious men wearing red jumpsuits appear out of nowhere and begin trying to subdue the problem. They first appear after Margaret dies and return after Alice kills Jack. This one is truly up for viewers to debate.
What Really Happened To Margaret & Her Son In Don’t Worry Darling?
More of Don’t Worry Darling‘s unanswered questions comes with Margaret and her son and what happened to them. The highly anticipated 2022 movie explains that kids are not real in the Victory Project but that Margaret lost hers in the desert. This led to the start of her questions about the nature of her reality. It is not revealed where her son went or why he never returned, as it does not make much sense that he would be suddenly removed from the program. Furthermore, Don’t Worry Darling leaves Margaret’s fate a mystery. She very clearly dies in the Victory Project, but the movie does not make it seem as though women can die inside the fake reality. Since she and her husband left the neighborhood and the program, it is never addressed if Margaret died in real life too or is still alive after Don’t Worry Darling‘s events.
