NEWS
EVENTS
Gone Girl
Other | Tuesday 7th October 2014 | Emanuele
I made up my mind to spend £12.65 on a ticket for Gone Girl basically for the name of its director. I have always been a big David Fincher fan, arguably one of the best American thriller-makers of the last two decades. The way he weaves together drama and mystery into captivating and intriguing stories is usually excellent, as shown by his previous works (Seven, Fight Club, The Social Network, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the TV series House of Cards, to name a few). Does this one live up with these great titles?
Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) is a jobless writer married to the beautiful and successful Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike), a writer herself. They live in a big house in an avergage American Mid-Western town. On the morning of their 5th anniversary, Nick goes to the bar where his sister works, to admit that his marriage has become a profound hardship his marriage. Nick and Amy had, long ago, promised never to become like all those worn out couples where husband and wife despise each other, but eventually that is what they turned into. Nonetheless, when Nick goes back home, he doesn’t expect to find what he finds: shattered glass in the living room and his wife nowhere to be found. She’s gone.
The police start probing, Amy’s parents come over from New York and soon, Nick finds himself the unwilling and embarrassed protagonist of a 24-hour media circus. One, two, three days go by, the girl is still missing and Nick discovers that the public, fed by the ruthless media system, is convinced he is a murderer. The police also put out a formal charge and a trial is scheduled, as all the clues seem to nail him. He denies all charges, but how can he prove reality is not what it seems to be?
The film, despite its unusual length (circa 150 minutes), flows smoothly with a plot that gets more and more intriguing as the end gets near and truths come out while you, the watcher, can only grow hungrier for answers.
To summarise, Fincher has once again hit the mark. Gone Girl is an excellent thriller, with a twisted plot and fine performances from Affleck and Pike. It also points out some serious contradictions of the media age and reflects upon marriage conflicts that centre on trust. Not to be forgotten is the atmospheric, rarefied and tense musical score by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, which adds an extra feeling to the film. Highly recommended.
Emanuele Spedicato
