Title: The Girl on the Train
Genre: Mystery/Drama film
Director: Tate Taylor
Lead actors: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux
Year of release: 2016
Overall Rating: 9/10
Plot Summary
Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt), a divorced New York City commuter, receives daily glimpses of people’s everyday lives as her train passes by residential neighborhoods. She becomes fixated on one specific couple who in her eyes seems perfect: an attractive, muscular man who dotingly adores his beautiful, carefree wife (Haley Bennett). The couple is everything Rachel ever wanted in her own life, everything that she could not achieve on her own. One day, Rachel witnesses the wife cheat on her husband. Soon after, Rachel finds out that the wife is now missing. Rachel becomes obsessed with the case and conducts her own investigation, which unexpectedly is linked with her haunting past.
Acting
The acting was great in this film. All of the characters were portrayed well and there was never a time where I thought an actor could have gotten out of character for a split-second. All the characters were also really well-developed and had a lot of depth to them, which adds to the psychological thrill of the genre.
Cinematography
The cinematography allowed the viewers to immerse themselves in the world. Most of the scenes were shot from one of the character’s area of vision which allowed the audience to see from his or her point of view. Quite a few shots in the film also featured close-ups on the actors’ faces to emphasize their expressions. However, the editing was a little confusing at times because the story seemed to jump around chronologically, but this might have been because of the book it was based on. (Note: I have never read the book.) The background music seemed to fit the emotion of the scene, whether it be more dramatic and fast-paced, or calming and peaceful.
Psychological Emphasis
The film has a strong emphasis on the human psychological mind and how certain situations could affect the way you behave and think. All of the characters featured in the story have different mentalities, but many of them emphasize the same idea that the past has a great affect on the future.