WELCOME TO VICTORY.

Victory, California, is a perfect 1950s community built in the desert where the men work for a secret project and their wives take care of the home… but there are cracks in the façade. Olivia Wilde’s second film as director, a lushly photographed thriller echoing The Stepford Wives and The Truman Show, received more attention for its conflicts behind the scenes between cast members. Still, it’s an entertaining and initially intriguing feminist fantasy with a terrific performance by Florence Pugh. The ending may be sloppily conceived, but its visual style and thrills make it worth a look.

2022-U.S. 123 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Olivia Wilde. Screenplay: Katie Silberman. Cinematography: Matthew Libatique. Cast: Florence Pugh (Alice Chambers), Harry Styles (Jack Chambers), Olivia Wilde (Bunny), Chris Pine (Frank), Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne… Dita Von Teese.

Trivia: Co-produced by Wilde; co-executive produced by Catherine Hardwicke. Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson were originally cast.