Don't Worry Darling and the American cult of the suburbs

Recently I watched Don't Worry Darling, the film that featured Harry Styles and Florence Pugh, which probably is more known for it's behind the scenes drama than the on-screen spectacle of plot. Our main character Alice Chambers (Florence Pugh) finds herself in a utopian California desert community with her husband Jack. As Alice becomes increasingly suspicious of Jack's behavior and the secrets surrounding their seemingly perfect life, she starts to uncover unsettling truths about her husband and this polite society. The film explores themes of control, power dynamics, and social expectations, where Alice's journey unravels a web of deceit and manipulation.

The setting of the movie play a crucial position in how the plot functions.

First is the contrast between surface perfection clashing with the hidden realities. The utopian suburban setting initially presents an idyllic facade of perfection and conformity. The neat houses, manicured lawns, and "happy" residents create this image of the perfect community. In the montages interlaced neatly throughout the first half of the motion picture, showing the housewives sending their husbands away to work, polishing their already clean homes, chit chatting on side of pools on sunny days and hanging out on buses that circles it routes too many times in the restricted area.

This contrasts sharply with the dark secrets and underlying tensions that Alice begins to uncover about her husband and the community; shown subtly like creating a trail of bread crumbs of clues and mishaps that Alice and the audience started to pick out of the mundane routine. From empty eggshells to walls crushing inward, ghostly figures bouncing off the tall glass door sliders to bloodied laundry lines. It was Margaret, one of her neighbor and friend that had turn into an outcast after an unauthorized visit to the desert beyond the given limit. She was then diagnosed as being mentally incapable and had to drink pills. Alice caught a glimpse of her and her husband argument where she didn't want to swallow the pills. From Margaret story the audience begin to see the twisted reactions of the overall community to a helpless woman as well as the ruptured lives of the residents, unlike the promised utopian society.

The isolated nature of the suburban community further amplifies feelings of claustrophobia and surveillance. Alice's sense of isolation in this perfect bubble heightens her paranoia and sense of unease as she navigates the mystery around her. She didn't want to believe what she discovered to be the reality, but it cannot be kept hidden. She had nightmares about it and when spoke out about what is on her mind all that she got back was side eyes and timid breathings from her counterparts. It doesn't help her even more as the urban setting reflects a microcosm of society where everyone knows each other's business, intensifying the pressure to maintain the pristine image of the place (this will be discussed more in "Virtual depictions of back-room spaces").

It is therefore inherent that the setting of a suburban allow for the story to play out as it did, but what is the origin of this intriguing type of neighborhood?

What is suburbia

Suburbanisation is characterized by its decentralization from the city center (urban sprawl) to promote a peaceful living environment, which align with the ideals of the American Dream, the united effort of private living and pressure of individual life.

To spread this idea of a “new normal” the US government carried out the G.I Bills of Rights which created affordable home loans and expanded the suburbs. The affordability of the loans caused marriage rate to rapidly increased with young families purchasing their first homes after the war. This is presented clearly in the stats, that 13 million homes were purchased from 1948 to 1958, in which 11 million of these purchases were of homes in suburban areas. The suburbs promote the idea of a homogenous system where everyone have equal opportunities and the same bland house. These individual unit is called Suburbia. Levittown located in New York was an ideal model of a suburban area, and by the 1960s many of these models were popping up all over the United States.

Homogenous, ironically a capitalist approach?

American neighborhood is based on the same notion that capitalism is build off of, which is the mentality of private property. In American neighborhoods, everything is separated into lines: “this is yours, and this is mine” there is basically no need to share things which pays homage to the prime principle of capitalism that private properties are encourage and public, third spaces are painted as undesirable/unattractive. The ramification is the disappearances of these third spaces, which are crucial in community building and fostering communal health.

Firstly, America's roads are long and straight most of the time. This repetition and monotonous in road model act as a sign and discourage people to walk these roads and engage with their surroundings/nature. This unsurprisingly raises the rate of obesity and related illnesses in the US. Next, not only are third spaces lacking in quantity, but they are also ugly and uninviting. The mentality is if there is nothing fun outside why even bother leaving the house, is due to the aesthetic and structure of housing design in the US. But it was once a more vibrant place in the 00s. And third spaces don't have to be conventional, they can be the streets in the neighborhood where kids can draw on the road, places people can gather around, where they can throw combined birthday parties, where kids can meet up with each other. Now the streets are for cars, and there is a clear shift in what is consider third spaces (malls). Third spaces are places where you have to buy stuff, splurge your money AND you don't even get real interactions with people in the malls (distracted by the commodities). Moving on, do you know those back-room places they show on TikTok that looks and feel super creepy? Yeah that describes the third spaces in the US. The reason why they feel like this is because there's no enclosure, or sense of enclosure to the space making it feel unreal and off putting, especially when you don't know where the place begins or ends so navigating the space makes you feel small and keep wandering on and on forever.

According to the suburban ideal, morally upright people live in suburbs, which supports the corporate claim: morally upright people make excellent employees. The notion that corporate suburbanization will result in better productivity by creating a more enjoyable and innovative work environment was one of the driving forces behind corporate suburbanization. Businesses such as General Foods felt that workers in suburbs were more educated and more suited than in cities. office jobs were especially sought after by white middle-class women, whose high-end suburban lifestyles blended in perfectly with the capitalistic office atmosphere. Strong economic growth and increased consumer spending fueled the post-World War II era, enabling suburbanization to take off and the US to continue its position as a global leader.

The cultural divide between liberals and conservatives in the 60s was mainly between the city and suburbs where liberals (pointed at for the economic/social issues) viewed people departing urban areas as racists and cowards, and where conservatives saw the suburbs as a rejection of failing urban centers.

Virtual depictions of back-room spaces

The stock liberal perspective of the suburbs (or those who viewed the city as the machine for social progress) is that the suburbs are for those who want to find sanctuary from the reality and "authentic" life in the city. So the suburbs are a political statement, viewed stereotypically as a conservative belt around the city, home ownership and middle -class white values. 

And as Hollywood brand itself as "progressive", it is not a surprised that many movies uses the image of the suburb to underscore dark themes of suppression and isolations just to name a few. 

White picket fences, green lawns, mail boxes, housewives aprons and pies, husbands arriving late from work after torturous commute from the inner city: the clear cut notion pop culture has for the ultimate American Dream: Suburbia

a common theme scattered in cinema is that of an ordinary life, of settling down. Because if it is ambition and motivation, that yearning, that feeling of being occupied and having two many things on your plate drives humanity's greatest discoveries, then settling down is shutting this world down, surrendering. We've become stagnant watches in the game of life when we should be the players; many young adults believe settling down is like locking yourself up in a prison cell mad out of white picket fences. And Hollywood does not hesitate to relate these sentiments.

The suburbs are generally associated with disappointment and unmet expectations. Films such as American Beauty and The Virgin Suicides illustrate the impact of betrayed hopes and crushed dreams on the individuals living in these areas. The suburbs are mired in the past, holding on to sentimental and antiquated beliefs. They are frequently represented as being homogeneous and inhospitable to outsiders. These outsiders in Hollywood become inspiring heroes because viewers can identify with their fight against the system.

Hollywood capture the essence of 50s 60s Americana, frozen and still in place that exist beyond time and place, holding on to the old-fashion notions that embrace conservatism, to deliver the feels that the movies like American Beauty, The Virgin Suicides and Don't Worry Darling give off. Nostalgia thrives in suburbs: to Hollywood entering suburbs is taking a step into the past, where men were men, women were women, and things were simpler, except they weren't. The suburbs cloak itself of normalcy. Hollywood assume these close knit communities shun those who don't look like them, as white and as high morale. but maybe its all for the plot, as these condemned figures craft for wonderful protagonists, audience rooting for them to bring down the norm. Suburban heroes, underdogs are always an interesting story to tell. Because being typical is the best thing there is on a huge screen.

This assumption of the residents having ugly personality can be seen in the Virgin Suicide. In the movie this facade of a shared sense of community in the suburban neighborhoods rip through at any given moment, and the friendly neighbors are not as friendly as you might have think they are. when things go down hill and all hell run loose, communities destroyed its residents point fingers at one another, or anyone but blame themselves. It can be seen that the Lisbon sisters guide viewers through their slice of life, a sad girl nostalgic feels, so after the death of the youngest sister Cecilia, the girls turn into objects of their neighborhood obsession, anomalies in the perfect Michigan suburbia. The girls tried to shake of their social outcast reputation but their mom ket them in the house, shutting them inside, making them objects, celestial beings that feed into the neighbors fascination. everyone is on their tip toes waiting for the girls secrets to unfold, their everyone movement and actions become headlines, newsworthy. The became a neighborhood disturbance and don't belong. In the faint background, underlying tone of the movie is a fungal disease that spreads among the trees in the suburbia until it finally got to the Lisbon girls dear tree which have to get remove. Becoming aware that their late sister's once beloved tree is in danger they protected both the tree and their memory of the dead sister. "through the Lisbon girls' motivation stems from their connection to Cecilia, their rebellion puts light on an issue that was quietly ignored by many of the residents who accepted their tree removal notices with out a fight." 

"Your parents are upper middle class" then why so miserable?

crowds, noise, pollution, built environment linked to mood disorders (depression, anxiety, suicide). it relate to a sense of self-efficacy, which is an important indicator of depression (a state that is more difficult to prolong in large and seemingly chaotic environment). Interpersonal relations also has a role. In places where social exposure and contact between neighbors is more difficult and conflict-ridden, where residents feel more difficulty participating into social changes, and feel isolated, lonely, low sense of self-efficacy, this all correlate to depression. Size density and heterogeneity is helpful when considering metropolitan places because of psychological importance. It can therefore be hypothesized that the frustration from the contexts talked above foster "personal disorganization, mental breakdown, and suicide" compare to the rural counterparts. The urbanites are less happy (with themselves and their communities). 

Smaller populations tend to have lower levels of social pressures associated with major population centers, such as pollution and crime, and they allow for more social interactions among neighbors, especially for women. Larger lots, fenced-in backyards, central air conditioning, and garage doors dominating the exterior are features of modern suburban homes. This leads to the privatization of leisure time; rather than socializing on the front porch, young suburbanites spend their evenings holed up in air-conditioned television rooms or private yards. For suburbanites, these traits have detrimental psychological effects. Many suburban neighborhoods are thought to be more socially isolated and apathetic due to factors including the homogeneity of dwelling designs, the prevalence of garages, the curved roadways, the lack of sidewalks and pedestrian shopping areas, and the distance from employers.

A lot of the aged towns manufactured prior to the mass production/development of central air conditioning or dependence on automobile transportation, would consequently have more dense housing that contain front porches (as a way to deal with the summer heat inside the home). This architectural feature are hypothesized to promote a front porch/street corner culture where neighbors would come together in mass crowds in a shared public space which obviously promote a sense of belonging and tight knit communities. Statistics show that compared to people living in rural metropolitan areas with lower population densities, people in denser areas are more likely to report feeling lonely, depressed, and less likely to be joyful. They also score higher on the CES-D depression index. Greater mental suffering is correlated with population density everywhere in metropolitan regions. The impact of income level at site. Richer and better educated people are less likely to experience emotional pain, while people who live in wealthier areas report experiencing more sadness and depression and fewer moments of happiness. On the CES-D summary assessment of depression, they also have much higher scores. 

Escaping the back-rooms, and revisits

To me the portrayal of suburban communities, as well as its structure, form and landscape will never not be a topic of discussion. As someone who has never lived or step foot into an American suburb what hide behind those white fences and perfectly mowed lawns and children laughters on the shared one way street, will always remain a mystery for me, to which Hollywood just keep feeding into. Whether or not I and many others have been tricked into this obsession of a normal lifestyle of the suburbanites you can't sit there and lie that something about these perfectly lined homes are not poking at your curiosity. No where in the world do we find such a utopian, harmonic outer layer of lifestyle, and so where would be no where else as perfect to hide the world's deepest secrets. 

Sources:

http://corporate-eden.weebly.com/suburban-ideology-in-pastoral-capitalism.html

https://www3.nd.edu/~adutt/activities/documents/oliver-hapconf_000.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275969380_Suburban_Utopia_-_The_American_Dream

https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/dont-worry-darling-suburbia-nightmare/