I finally had the opportunity to catch Gone Girl in the theaters before it disappears. I didn’t read the book beforehand, but highly anticipated watching Ben Affleck portray a husband suspected of his wife’s disappearance. Adapted from Gillian Flynn‘s novel of the same name, “Gone Girl” (2012) is a mystery thriller about Nick Dunne, a laid back bar owner who becomes the lead suspect in the disappearance of his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike). Their marriage is less than perfect, which becomes obvious early on in the film. But this mystery flick is more than meets the eye and throughout film, I found myself pondering just how eerie it was, not just as a movie, but how much it mirrored real life. Here are five reasons “Gone Girl” is seriously disturbing and why you should definitely put it on your must-watch list before it leaves theaters.
Marriage. It’s a major focus in the film, and no doubt the book as well. There’s an implication that there’s a certain amount of drudgery that comes along with the happy nuptials: I promise to love honor and respect until death does us apart – or we die of misery – which could be implied from this film. Is this what the matrimonial bond is really about, putting up and shutting up? That’s the overarching sentiment throughout the movie.
Suspect. It’s no secret that when a wife disappears under suspicious circumstances, the husband makes the top of the list of suspects. The film makes this glaringly clear. But should a pile of past cases and host of circumstantial evidence always take precedence when a wife goes missing? According to this storyline, it just might be the case in the eyes of the media, family, neighbors, even the police. What happened to innocent until proven guilty?
Evidence. When it comes to evidence, how reliable is it? When we consider that investigators partially use former cases to form their opinion about current cases, could evidence that points the finger at a potential suspect, be an unfortunate string of coincidences? One would hope that time and consideration to reveal all possibilities are taken before a conclusion is drawn as to who the guilty party is.
Fear. In the film, it seems that in an effort to sooth fears, there’s a rush to solve the case, even if some of the so-called evidence does not hold up. There’s so much to fear mongering in this film, it’s not hard to see how it mirrors real-world scenarios. The family and friends fear the worst for their missing loved ones; society fears that this could happen to them; and the media uses this fear to increase ratings and sensationalize story, maybe even create one.
Media. The media plays a big role in painting the husband as guilty before the police even declare a suspect or make an arrest. Is it really okay for so-call experts to grab their 15 minutes of fame or for an overzealous “news reporter” to use semantics or the knowledge of the law (or lack thereof) to declare someone a viable suspect? In the real world, Nancy Grace comes to mind, and it not only makes for sensational TV, but it’s becoming the way of the future.
Image source: 20th Century Fox
