Netflix's "Gerald's Game" is a captivating thriller, released during Stephen King's year of triumph. At the same time, it's a psychological study of a complex character and a heroine's quest of finding the strength to overcome the burden of her buried secrets. A chronicle of past events transformed her into who she is now. Our protagonist's name is Jessie, portrayed marvelously by Carla Gugino, the disrupted offspring of a male-dominated society that dictates that women should be blamed for their misfortunes. She is a woman swallowing her needs, diminishing her ego, and complying with the decisions that others made for her.
Who knew that Gerald's sexual game would end his life, and potentially give hers back?
The heavy yoke of patriarchy
The film is not a typical exploration of sexual abuse and its repercussions. On the contrary, it masterfully shows the ways that Jessie was sexually and psychologically exploited without visual exposition, but through a painful realization process. Seeing Jessie sinking deeper into her illusions and coming to terms with her life choices and dark corners of her existence is extremely agonizing. Even the cliché appearances of an empowered version of herself guiding her and a diabolic version of her husband attempting to convince her to give up and die without a fight add greatly to the narrative.
Both illusionary manifestations clearly expose the different egos that live within us.
Some are there to condemn us to hell and others to save our souls. The sinister mentality of self-blaming and guilt is crucial in "Gerald's Game." In Jessie's case, the men, primarily her father, and secondarily, her husband, Gerald, have molded her personality.
When Death knocks on her door after her husband dies in front of her and leaves her cuffed to the bed, she prepares herself to accept her fate. She believes that she will die either due to hunger and thirst or due to being mauled by the rabid dog lurking around her house. The grim closure she is expecting is no more than her way of victimizing herself once again.
Old sins cast long shadows
Jessie's story is an interesting take on abuse and its repercussions. The most shocking scenes revolve around the eclipse subplot and the father-daughter discussion scene about the secret they share. Jessie's father is a Machiavellian persona manipulating his daughter into believing that she has a fair share of the disturbing incident that he was responsible for. He is trying to make her an accomplice to his shameful deed to guarantee his security. Therefore, Jessie has lived in fear and guilt since she was 10 years old. These are the emotions that dictated her marriage, her behavior, and her life goals. Evident is the fact that her father was calling her "Mouse." -- a nickname that summarizes how trivial, weak, and insignificant she feels throughout her life.
Thankfully, the ending, which I won't spoil, will do the protagonist justice and provide closure.
Ultimately, "Gerald's Game" is a film about the people that are traumatized irreversibly by predatory individuals. The nightmare of living in hell is not symbolic. Hell is on Earth and people live in it for their whole lives until a wake-up call surfaces and forces them to face themselves in the mirror. Compliments should be given to the director of the adaptation, Mike Flanagan, who brought us thrilling films like "Oculus", "Hush," and "Ouija: Origin of Evil." He managed to keep the agony at high levels for the duration of the film with his stylish filmmaking and eerie atmosphere.
Feel free to check below the intriguing trailer of "Gerald's Game. You can catch the film on Netflix.
