Gone Girl
Directed by David Fincher
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Marriage is hard work. It can be frustrating, it can be brutal, and it can be a true force to reckon with. But it is worth it, right? The characters in David Fincher’s newest thriller, Gone Girl, might not agree.
Nick Dunne, played by Ben Affleck, is finding marriage a hurricane when his beloved Amy disappears on their fifth anniversary, leaving nothing behind but a broken table and a lot of questions.
Based on Gillian Flynn’s bestseller, Gone Girl takes you down a trail of breadcrumbs as Dunne tries to piece together the whereabouts of his wife. He struggles with the fact their marriage might not be worth Amy coming back for and that her disappearance may be a blessing in disguise.
But since Amy is a white, middle-class blonde beauty, her disappearance strikes attention from the media everywhere. Rumours start to spread about Dunne being not only Amy’s captor, but possibly her killer.
Every good story has a hero and a villain, but Fincher blurs those lines between his two main characters and makes our heads spin as we don’t know who to side with— and who to blame—in this film.
Through Dunne, he makes us wonder who the true criminals are in relationships or whether relationships consist solely of partners in crime.
Affleck plays his best typical guy as Dunne, but doesn’t make it a memorable or particularly personal role. Rosamund Pike, on the other hand, plays Amy beautifully, dusting her character with a light vanilla innocence.
Unknown scene-stealer Carrie Coon as Dunne’s sister, Margo, is the most interesting character in the film. Coon’s stubborn, in-your-face Margo is a good contrast to Dunne’s low and melancholy personality.
Gone Girl will have you on the edge of your seat and and keep you guessing right until the last scene.
Fincher knows how to make a drama, and no one else could have done the Dunnes’ crimes such justice. To escalate the tension and suspense, he once again brought Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, who also scored his Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Relationships are sensitive, tricky things, and this film will make your love life look golden in comparison. Gone Girl makes you wonder what the true ingredients of a good relationship are: time, love, attention, communication? Maybe, but what aren’t you communicating? And, after years in a relationship, what have you done to that person? What have you made them feel? How would they feel if they didn’t have you?
Gone Girl is a hell of a ride and well worth seeing, but you might not want to make it a date night movie with someone you like.
