This psychological thriller featuring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles has been a media sensation over the past month. However, amidst an unsatisfying ending and a myriad of unanswered questions, what is it really about and is it worth watching?

The movie takes place in a planned community near Californian deserts, where life is centred around “The Victory Project.” Everyday, men take off to work under the realms of this mysterious scheme, whilst women are left to attend to household chores and gossip. The community is led by the seemingly charismatic and charming Frank, who is supported by his wife, Shelley. In what seems like a breezy life, there is one catch – women are not allowed to ever ask about The Victory Project. Tension builds and emotions heighten when Alice (Florence Pugh) slowly catches on to the ugly truths hidden beneath this “perfection”.

My first criticism of the movie is that I believe Wilde tried to do too much at once. Although she implements a variety of eye-catching concepts into the production, such as paranoia and oblivion, I think that she delves into too many plot holes and characters, which ultimately left watchers confused. In my opinion, the movie seemed unfinished and greater efforts should have been made to expand her focus beyond Alice’s perspective so that other characters could be further developed.

For instance, near the end, it is revealed that “The Victory Project” is in fact a simulation world that Frank created through a type of virtual reality. The couples’ physical bodies are still in the real world, yet they are connected to eye pieces that transport them to The Victory Project land. The men involved in the project are the only ones who know this whilst the women are blissfully unaware that their lives in this fantasy land are not real.

Frank (Chris Pine) clearly plays a key role in the advancement of the story as he created the chaotic yet perfect land that it is set in. However, he is given little to no screen time and there is no dive into his life in the real world or what events lead him to this creation.

Moreover, another character who I believe should have been further developed was Bunny (Olivia Wilde) – Alice’s neighbour. In a quick, fast-paced scene, she reveals that she is the only other woman in the land who is aware of the fake reality of The Victory Project. She explains that she chooses to be there because she is able to stay with her kids who are dead in the real world. Although this is a major development in the storyline, her character is tossed aside and the movie quickly moves on to Alice trying to escape. I believe that this was a missed opportunity for a great sequence delving into Bunny’s life in the real world – her emotions, her discovery of The Victory Project and more. It can also be said that by neglecting her character, she is simply reduced to a mother figure which opposes the movies overarching message of how women should not be underestimated or controlled by the patriarchy.

Many questions have also arisen, particularly surrounding the ending of the movie. Alice is seen in a classic car chase when suddenly, the screen goes black, and the final audio is her breathing. Many find that the uncertainty of her survival makes the movie unsatisfying, however, I believe that the cliff-hanger compliments the style of the movie perfectly. It is all about mystery and obsession, so by mirroring Alice’s feeling onto the audience, Wilde skilfully portrayed the emotions within the movie.

Despite the many open ended questions that can be taken away, the movie does convey some defining messages. For instance, Alice’s partner, Jack (Harry Styles) initially involves himself in The Victory Project after feeling guilty for losing his job and causing Alice to take on more shifts, despite her saying she was happy to do so. In an attempt to fix this, Jack wanted to transport her to a world where she wouldn’t have to lift a muscle and could depend on him for everything, thus relating to toxic masculinity. He wanted her to be happy yet ironically took everything away from her. This suggests that in times of upset or depression, we can sometimes interpret situations differently to what they actually are. Ultimately, Alice kills Jack with no remorse and their relationship falls apart because of Jack’s depression.

Another message was the danger of routine. In the simulation, the women were completely blinded by their busy schedules of cooking, cleaning and partying, that they were completely oblivious to the bigger picture. This could relate to how in modern society, we have trained ourselves into a routine and in doing so, we could be distancing ourselves from matters that are much more important.

Overall, I would say that the movie was mediocre as there were some positive takeaways, yet there are many aspects which could be improved. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good plot twist and anyone who is interested in the 1950’s as Wilde succeeded in capturing the aesthetic of this era. I am excited to see how Wilde develops as a director as I can see great promise in her work so far.