Not long ago I commented Hush, a film directed by Mike Flanagan, now, based on an Stephen King's original story, Gerald's Game, published in 1992, the director decides to make a film adaptation that was thought to be unrealizable, however, to the surprise of many, he did a relatively acceptable job considering the complexity of the work he undertook, which is why, perhaps, the greatest merit of the film is not to ruin it completely.
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Year: 2017
Category: Psychological Horror.
Director: Mike Flanagan.
Cast: Carla Gugino, Chiara Aurelia, Bruce Greenwood, Carel Struycken, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel.
Plot
When an erotic game is not as planned, and her husband dies suddenly, Jessie must try to survive, but to achieve it, she must free herself from the handcuffs that hold her to the bed of a remote and isolated house, while she makes them, her inner demons and unexpected intruders will stalk her.
Opinion
Jessie and Gerald, a married couple, decide to travel to their second home, which is located away from the city, with the aim of recovering the sexual activity that their relationship lost. He prepared everything for the occasion, the gardeners pruned the lawn, the service women cleaned the house, and the closest neighbors are not present, so that in addition to them the only thing alive in that place is a dog that for an oversight at the wheel they almost run over. Soon, the erotic game that Gerald had prepared is not as agreed, Jessie is scared and not pleased to be tied with handcuffs to bed, so he asks his husband to release her, but... but... but... just then Gerald suffers a heart attack and dies. For which Jessie will be tied to the bed, starting a psychological survival, in which she must first face her fears and her past, to be able to cope with the tight situation she is in.
The film does a good job as a psychological thriller, it will even make some people's hair stand on end, however, I cannot say that it has generated a very big impact on me, but I must say that I find the film quite disturbing, especially when it delves into the past of the protagonist, there I can see what it tries to do, and I think it works, the film seeks to introduce distrust in the mind of the spectator, in order to provoke sensations.
In general it is a very good adaptation that delves into the most important psychological aspects, showing not only the physical captivity of the protagonist, but also the psychological one. The idea is very well posed and is faithful enough to the book, even in its most unpleasant facets.
The director decides to maintain the maximum tension, for which he uses, in a correct way, a set of disturbing flashbacks, which thanks to the aesthetic continuity are introduced naturally and provide a dramatic background to the character. Much has to learn Mark Tonderai, who directed House at the End of the Street, film of which I was talking yesterday.
So that what is seen in the film works correctly, it took actors capable of transmitting the complexity that the characters needed, and the work done by Guino and Greenwood is perfect, they manage to capture and transmit the essence of the story. Chiara Aurelia, a very young actress and that I had not seen act until now, does a great role, especially considering how disturbing are the scenes that she had to participate in, I just do not like to see children in the movies, I have no confidence in the morality of those who work in film projects.
I feel that the biggest problem of the film is in the final part, where for almost ten minutes we listen to a voiceover, which is essential to respect the final plot of the book, where the continuous ellipses make their film adaptation very complicated, which makes the spectators unfamiliar with King's book see how the film, after reaching the end, seems to continue another ten minutes that the film did not need, and that instead of clarifying something, complicates the story.
Trailer
Score
6/10
The film does not completely satisfy me, in fact, it leaves me with something unsatisfied, however, Gerald's Game is a movie that you can see when you do not have a clear idea about what to select in the Netflix catalog.
