Gerald's Game

Today's entry for Day 2 was Netflix's Gerald's Game. This is one I saw pop up last year during the binge and it looked pretty damn intriguing but somehow I never got to it. I was little trepidatious as Netflix isn't necessarily known for game-changing films, but man... how is this film not in the conversation more as one helluva horror film.

Bare bones and, at least on the surface, simple, Gerald's Game is a damn near horror masterpiece. Based on a Stephen King novel (unsurprisingly, as this movie is quintessentially Kingian), a couple (Gerald and Jessie) has lost the spice in their marriage and travel to a remote lakeside cabin to try to rekindle their spark. Gerald's idea of rekindling is handcuffing Jessie to the bed, something Jessie is very uncomfortable with. What she's probably more uncomfortable with though is when Gerald suffers a deadly heart attack and literally dies on top of her. 

So, yeah. Not an optimal situation. 

Now, if this sounds to you like not enough of a story to sustain a feature length film, well, you're not alone. I figured this movie would be too little plot over too much movie. Kind of like, oh, I dunno... butter spread over too much bread.

Thanks, Bilbo.

I'm happy to say I was all kinds of wrong. Carla Gugino (Jessie) carries this movie like the utmost of champs, especially seeing as how she spends the vast majority of the movie chained to a bed. Jessie begins to see visions of her deepest fears and demons, personified by conversations between herself, dead Gerald, and other figures both living and within her mind. Gugino gives her character so much weight, her interplay with Bruce Greenwood (Gerald, also stellar) captivating and a master's class in acting out a two (well, kind of three) person play. 

What makes this movie so captivating though is not even necessarily the, "Oh man, how is she going to escape this situation?" question. Sure, it's a horrifying prospect, but it isn't the thing that keeps you squirming in your seat. Jessie has a past, both with her husband and father, that is leaps and bounds more unsettling than her handcuffed predicament. Being chained in place is simply the backdrop to Jessie dealing with her demons and becoming stronger on the other side. In our world today where important conversations are happening about #metoo and #whyIdidntreport, this movie takes on a whole other level of relevance and importance. It is about overcoming a painful past, finding strength, and allowing a recovery to happen. All this in a horror movie about being chained to a bed. That's astonishing.

Finally, the one burr in my saddle: that ending. I won't spoil it, because it is an essential part of the experience of watching this film. But it's... different. After seeing the explosiveness of the climax (featuring one of the most horrifying and disgusting scenes I've seen in a horror movie in a long time), the "epilogue" so to speak begins (which I believe was what it actually was in King's book). To be honest... I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I fully understand it's purpose and love the message of healing it ultimately leaves with, but in typically King fashion, it feels slightly hokey and out of place. Without giving anything away, it serves a purpose but it feels inelegant. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling that this is the most divisive part of the film; it's the one thing that keeps it from masterpiece status. I still need time to process it, but as it stands I'm not completely sure how I feel it fits with the rest of the movie.

Between this, Hush, the upcoming Haunting at Hill House series, and several other boundary-pushing horror movies, the writer/director Mike Flanagan is proving himself to be a horror director to watch. While this movie is flawed (I think, I'm still deciding) Gerald's Game is a stellar, unique example of horror.

9/10