Rated: M
Directed by: Olivia Wilde
Screenplay by: Katie Silberman
Story by: Carey Van Dyke, Shane Van Dyke, Katie Silberman
Produced by: Olivia Wilde, Katie Silberman, Miri Yoon, Roy Lee
Starring: Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde, Harry Styles, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne and Nick Kroll.
‘We shouldn’t be here.’
Victory is a company that wants to change the world.
Together, all those living in their desert community, all the couples living in the community, are living their most perfect life.
It’s like taking a step back to the 1950s: neighbours come together and have drunken dinner parties; the whole setting is heavy cut crystal, the men in suits and skinny ties, the women in dresses and heels, the music is swing and jive. It’s frothy and fun.
Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles) can’t get enough of each other while best friend Bunny (Olivia Wilde) is jokes and smiles with her two cute kids. It’s a dream life. All in the community are thankful. They revere the head of the company, their leader: Frank (Chris Pine) and are in awe of his wife, Shelley (Gemma Chan).
All is well.
Except for those weird flashbacks.
And Margaret (KiKi Layne) a friend and neighbour who’s become unwell: ‘We shouldn’t be here.’
Don’t ask what job all the husbands are driving to every morning – it’s for the company. Top secret.
Discretion is the solution to chaos.
The tension builds gradually with hints that signal, all is not right at Victory. The earth shakes.
While Alice cracking empty eggs becomes a metaphor.
She hums an unfamiliar tune. Because if the song didn’t come from the records in their home or over the community radio – where did it come from?
The build of story is backed by the silence intertwined with sound off-kilter. It’s an uneasy feeling, but has a subtle touch, handled by director, Olivia Wilde (who also stars as best friend, Bunny), while performances from Florence Pugh and Harry Styles drive the story.
There’s great chemistry between these two as husband and wife, while Harry pushes his luck with a somewhat British accent, he holds the character well to reveal layers.
The standout is Pugh as Alice, believable as she catches glimpses of what’s underneath the community of Victory.
And that’s all I’m giving away.
This is Olivia Wilde’s second feature as director, and while I was gripped by this film, this wasn’t as cohesive as her first feature, Booksmart (2019).
And there’s a glossing-over of backstory, particularly the community’s leader, Frank and wife Shelley.
But there’s good pacing here, building on that feeling of being trapped as the story slowly tightens its grip.