Your going to know as soon as the movie “Gone Girl” begins that you are watching a David Fincher production. The atmosphere, the musical score, and every nuance of the cast work together to deliver exactly what David wants you to see. Which is a twisted, distorted, and completely pessimistic interpretation of what being married is all about. It’s also very entertaining
if only due to the talents of the director, and the cast, who try diligently to deliver a sincere portrayal of their characters.
The premises of the movie is strait forward enough, a woman Amy Dunne disappears under suspicious circumstances. Her husband, Nick Dunne eventually becomes the prime suspect, his past and present transgressions slowly come out into the media spot light, which only tend to further the public’s perception that he is a scoundrel.
It’s intriguing to see how both partners interpreted their marriage. Are they lying to each other, to them selves, or both. It’s never really quite clear. But it is clear that Gillian Flynn, the author of the book, and the screen play, has some pretty strong opinions about what a woman is capable of. Especially when she feels she has been wronged. A more fitting title for this movie would probably be “Hell hath no fury, like a woman scorned”.
But its not just about a woman being wronged, and that’s were the authors talent lies. If you know anything about Gillian, you know she’s fascinated with the evil side of woman. Even admitting she has a sadistic side in herself, that she is all to happy to describe, and share. At one point in the film, you really feel like your watching the author personified in the character of Amy Dunne.
There’s also a lot of similarities in the movie, with the Scott Peterson case, in California. The media circus that followed this case of a handsome, charming man whose pregnant wife goes missing on Christmas Eve, shows up here in this film too. Waiting, so ready to pounce on every wrong move the husband makes.
The husband in this case, Nick, does a little too much to help the media build up the public’s case against him. Does he have skeletons in the closet, yes, does he do a good job of hiding them, no.
There are some really preposterous scenes in the move, that will leave your jaw if not agape, then on the floor. These scenes that by them selves are just quite frankly absurd, some how work in the overall scheme of the film. For with out them, the move just wouldn’t work.
To summarize, the theme of this movie is that we are all doomed to be married to somebody who will bring out the worst in us. There is no hope, no redemption, and certainly no light at the end of the tunnel in this story. If misogyny is the hatred of women, this story will leave you wondering if there is a word for the hatred of marriage.
Because Gillian Flynn’s interpretation is that it’s a miserable, unbearable phase in our lives, that we are all doomed to endure. Despite all of this, this movie is really worth seeing. David Fincher knows what he’s doing, and some how manages to make a lot of ludicrous scenes some how work in the grand scheme of the movie, which is to entertain you, which I really believe it did.
I was shocked when the lights came on after the movie ended, to see that the over whelming majority of the audience were those in there 60’s. Listening to them leave the theater, you could tell they all enjoyed it, as I’m sure you will too.
