Gone Girl

A review from our Community Correspondent Emily @caminosmem

5/5 General release, rating 18

I confess, I hadn’t read the book before seeing this film but having now seen it I’m glad I didn’t! The twists and turns within this film were gripping and I was excited that I didn’t know what was coming next. By the end of the film I could happily have watched another hour of it. There was never a dull moment.

I was excited about seeing this film as I’ve really enjoyed other well known films directed by David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, Panic Room) so if you enjoyed these too you are sure to love this one. Rosamund Pike is intense and brilliant in her role as Amy and Ben Affleck as Nick is just as enjoyable to watch. Amy’s parents are also intriguing characters and I found it difficult to stop myself trying to analyse them and their relationship with their daughter. The kind of people that seem to mean well and give the impression of doting parents but something just doesn’t sit right with you. The relationship Amy has with her parents in this film is something many of us can relate to. Living up to others’ high expectations of us is a constant struggle, and usually downright impossible.

Being compared to others which only serves to point out our flaws, our failures and our limitations (in the eyes of others that is). This pressure can lead us at times to extreme behaviour and a feeling of continually trying to prove ourselves to others, to get their approval and stop us feeling ‘not good enough’. Luckily, some of us will reach a point where this pressure becomes too much and we buckle under it. I say ‘luckily’ because this then means we can learn to escape from it, to stop seeking approval from others, and set our own standards and goals in life. We finally find ourselves being the person we were meant to be and can find our true selves. It’s a process I’m familiar with and one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do but also one of the most liberating.
Beginning with the disappearance of Amy, the plot begins to build and build and when you have just about digested one twist in the story another one pops us and surprises you. This crescendo of events does not stop until the very end. Yes, I’m being purposefully vague about the details as I wouldn’t want to spoil anything for you!

My favourite character in the film is Detective Rhonda Boney who, with her no nonsense attitude and dry wit helps to move the suspicions along of ‘whodunnit’. The kind of Detective with a keen eye and a strong, reliable gut instinct which we all enjoy to watch.
If you like films that make you think, keep you on edge and with a hint of black humour then this is the film for you. I hope to those of you who’ve read the book that it doesn’t leave you disappointed. It’s definitely gotten the thumbs up from me and I give it a 5 out of 5!

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