Ripples N Reflections

Its not exactly the best story I’ve ever heard,  but a story of the movie I saw yesterday. The movie is based on a book by Gillian Flynn and directed by David Fincher . Gone Girl – It reflects the  disintegration of  a marriage and the power of the human mind when depressed or angered or hurt. A female human mind at that.

The story starts on the 5th Marriage Anniversary of a couple when the husband  comes home in early noon to find that his wife has disappeared. He calls the cops as there is evidence of a struggle or a scuffle in the living room. As the story unfolds, we understand that all is not as it appears. As is usually the case, there are two sides to every story and if it is the story of a marriage, the cliche is probably doubly true!

We get to hear Nick Dunne’s ( His) version as he tells the cops and discusses his marriage and wife with his twin sister Coon. Her side (Amy’s) is conveyed through a diary in which she  makes regular entries fro the day she meets him. The two are very different and soon we know that the marriage despite appearing to have been made in heaven,  had been crumbling. And crumbling fast. The deep love and strong physical attraction had been eroded and corroded by modern day perils like recession, illnesses, financial problems and above all, infidelity. Nick has been having an affair with a young student of his.

We are then told that Amy had stumbled on the truth and her fertile mind had hatched a plot where the unsuspecting husband would be implicated in her murder and she would then end her own life. Devious??  Yes!  Well, it appears she has been so all her life as her husband finds out. She has pressed charges against two people in the past – once for rape and once for stalking. The second guy Desi, a super rich guy still has a restraining order against coming near his wife for stalking her.

As Nick and the police discover other  aspects of Amy’s life , including her “best friend”  of  which and whom Nick has no clue, we realise how disconnected the couple had become.

Anyways to cut a long story short, Amy who is alive, but  loses all her money while she is living undercover. She now hatches a new plot. She reconnects with Desi and convinces him that she is running away from Nick fearing for her life. He shelters her in an isolated luxury lake house. In the meantime, Nick makes a pitch to Amy on National TV pleading her to come back. Amy is enamored by the transformation of her lazy, cheating husband and now does an U turn again and how!! She kills Desi as they are making love. She now comes back and claims to have been kidnapped and abused by Desi. Nick does not believe her. Besides,she also tells him about the murder herself.  But also  tells him she wants her old Nick back at whatever cost.

Now comes the unconvincing part where she has reportedly conceived from using a sperm bank and is actually carrying Nicks child. He feels responsible and accepts her and they announce on National TV that they are expecting a baby. All this in a matter of a day or two! Rather hurried, I felt .

Having said that, brilliantly emoted by the lead actors as well as the supporting cast, the story could well  be the story of any modern marriage with its problems of mistrust, drifting apart, infidelity , disagreement over starting a family, trouble adjusting  between city life and small town life, all of which are plausible and beautifully woven into the story. It is the ending which I do not agree with and would prefer to change.

Is a child (so early in pregnancy and can easily be aborted ) a reason for a marriage that is already dead to be held on to? Is it reason to stay with a cold blooded murderer? Can there ever be trust and love between the protagonists? Will that child revert or reverse any of the problems the couple were so desperately facing? Can a cold blooded murder be explained away so blithely? These are the things I would embellish and change.

Those of you who have not seen the movie, its worth a watch. Its a mirror to a marriage any marriage. Its brilliantly directed and enacted and moves fast.

For those of you who have seen the movie, did you like it? Did you like the ending? Do you agree with the ending?

Waiting to hear from you. That much for story telling from my side.

 Second Hand  Stories: What’s the best story someone else has recently told you (in person, preferably)? Share it with us, and feel free to embellish — that’s how good stories become great, after all.

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http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/second-hand-stories/