By Alyssa Peterson
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 beg to differ.
Nick Dunne (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 Nick tries to piece together the whereabouts of his wife. He does this while struggling with the fact their marriage might not be worth Amy coming back for, and that her disappearance may just have been a blessing in disguise.
But since Amy is a white, middle-class, blonde beauty, her disappearance strikes attention from media outlets everywhere. Rumors start spreading of Nick 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 are torn between who to side with and who to blame. Through Nick Dunne, Fincher he makes us wonder who the true criminals are in relationships or whether relationships consist solely of partners in crime.
Ben Affleck plays his best typical-guy as Nick 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 Nick’s sister, Margo, is the most interesting thing about Nick! Coon’s stubborn, in-your-face Margo is a good contrast to Nick’s low and melancholy personality.
Gone Girl will have you on the edge of your seat and on your toes, 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 brings Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor (who also scored Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) along for the ride.
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, or communication? Or all of the above? But what aren’t you communicating? And, after years in a relationship, what have you done to your significant other, what have you made them feel and how would they feel if they didn’t have you?
Gone Girl is one hell of a ride and well worth seeing, but fair warning – you might not want to make it a date-night movie with someone you like!
GIF source: Buzzfeed.