Old post from November 2014 I didn't publish until now:
I saw "Gone Girl" in the theater last night. It was better than I expected. I wanted to see it because of all the divisive and polarized commentary in newspapers. New York Post would have you believe that you shouldn't take it seriously, it's just entertainment, and it's a thriller. As a film goer I found "Gone Girl" relate-able even if horrifying, like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.
Who's the victim, the hapless adulterer husband, or the woman who was told be everything she could be but once within the confines of marriage, must be less than herself? So she pulls off the most ridiculous coup - it became apparent to me she escapes from one jail cell to another. Resentment comes from refusing to acknowledge our own complicity in owning a set of the prison keys.
Some critics say this film doesn't say anything about modern marriage. Hmm, not so sure about that. According to a November 2014 Elle issue article, almost 25% of marriages are ones where the woman has more earning power than her husband, and those marriages end most likely in divorce. Also there was a time marriage was about family alliances, taking care of a woman who many not have useful skills outside the home, the roles of husband and wife were very clear. Now, a woman doesn't need security from a man depending on where she's from and what she's capable of. Marriage for her, is a liability.
Certainly the film is melodramatic, it's 2 and a half hours long and not having read the book, I'm sure misses some serious character development points. For example if Amy is a true psychopath, how is it she has no friends? Or if she is so accomplished, again how does she not have friends? The things I wonder about.
I saw "Gone Girl" in the theater last night. It was better than I expected. I wanted to see it because of all the divisive and polarized commentary in newspapers. New York Post would have you believe that you shouldn't take it seriously, it's just entertainment, and it's a thriller. As a film goer I found "Gone Girl" relate-able even if horrifying, like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.
Who's the victim, the hapless adulterer husband, or the woman who was told be everything she could be but once within the confines of marriage, must be less than herself? So she pulls off the most ridiculous coup - it became apparent to me she escapes from one jail cell to another. Resentment comes from refusing to acknowledge our own complicity in owning a set of the prison keys.
Some critics say this film doesn't say anything about modern marriage. Hmm, not so sure about that. According to a November 2014 Elle issue article, almost 25% of marriages are ones where the woman has more earning power than her husband, and those marriages end most likely in divorce. Also there was a time marriage was about family alliances, taking care of a woman who many not have useful skills outside the home, the roles of husband and wife were very clear. Now, a woman doesn't need security from a man depending on where she's from and what she's capable of. Marriage for her, is a liability.
Certainly the film is melodramatic, it's 2 and a half hours long and not having read the book, I'm sure misses some serious character development points. For example if Amy is a true psychopath, how is it she has no friends? Or if she is so accomplished, again how does she not have friends? The things I wonder about.
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