Amy Dunne is a devil. The antagonist in Gone Girl – she is psychotic, manipulative and calculating. Yet somehow, I find myself rooting for her because I love the complexity of her character. When the “cool-girl” monologue comes on, I can actually understand her motive during the scene. I find myself asking if I’m the problem here, and the short answer is no.
The long answer however, is that Amy Dunne is an intricate person. Someone who has her moments where viewers are presented with the opportunity to justify her actions.
That being said, I should start by saying that I don’t justify Amy Dunne’s actions. She is undeniably the bad guy here. However, Amy is a complex female villain, one with no heroes in her story. As a side note, she had to watch Adam Sandler movies. So as you can imagine, that was quite a sacrifice on her part. I can understand how those movies drove her to insanity.
Amy Dunne is the type of character who captures your attention as soon as she appears on the screen. She seems lovable from the second we meet her, but we soon realize that her charm is just part of the character she’s playing.
Amy plays the cool girl to perfection. She sacrifices everything for her husband, Nick Dunne. In return, he shows her just how oblivious and ignorant he really is.
When we look at the famous cool-girl monologue, Amy explains that she had to change for Nick. She forced herself to fit into the oh-so-coveted cool-girl stereotype. The cool girl is a fantasy in a straight relationship. It’s a box that forces a woman to conform to a man’s image of perfection.
This image depicts a girl as hot and fun, never gets mad and conceals their true emotions. That’s obviously not realistic and most certainly not healthy. Yet women subconsciously (and sometimes willingly) change themselves for a man. They lose themselves and their identity just for a label.
So, Amy explains the cool-girl status and is now making every woman watching rethink if she’s been a cool girl. Is there anything more to her character?
My answer to that is two words: female rage.
Amy Dunne is the perfect example of female rage. Rage is one emotion that women in society have been taught they are not allowed to feel, especially not in films. While men can express their rage, women are expected to bury their anger in silence. Amy is not outwardly aggressive. She does not punch holes into a wall, nor does she break a mirror. However, she does successfully convey her fury and it mustn’t be ignored.
Amy’s wrath in this film is relatable. People are watching a woman who is persistent in ruining her husband’s life because he took everything from her.
So – I get it. Amy is an awful person, but she exhibits a type of anger that is typically cast aside in movies.
Amy Dunne exemplifies a new type of female villain, one who typically isn’t portrayed in the film industry. She is flawed, but that is somehow more realistic as a woman. She is angry, vindictive, some even argue that she’s evil. But it all makes her more intriguing.
Amy Dunne is not someone we should aspire to be. Nonetheless, there will always be a part of me that recognizes her ambition and wishes that she could ruin Nick’s life when that cool-girl scene comes on. Rooting for Amy during the monologue is my way of channelling my anger from a fantasy that I am expected to fulfil. I channel my own female rage into the words of a wronged woman.