Happy Sunday to you!
Last night, I went to the movie theatre with my mom, best friend, and her mom to see Gone Girl. My three companions were familiar with the novel and film and were excited to see the movie. As for me, I never heard of the film until my best friend texted me the invite that evening. The film was well written, and the acting was superb. I was not bored at any point of the movie. The film had my attention from beginning to end. However, I don't think I would recommend this film to anyone as a must see. In this post, I want to share with you some thoughts I had inspired by the film. I will not give away any portion of the movie. So if you want to see it, you can still read this piece.
Due to the film's dark content, I want to pose a question. Is there such a thing as oversharing when you're an artist? As a poet, I write about many themes. However, as a Christian, I am selective in the poems I choose to share with the reader. I want to share honest stories without taking the reader to a corrupt space. In a world filled with corruption, violence, wickedness, and perversion, what artists choose to share is significant and influential. Gone Girl was a well written and fully developed piece, but I am uncertain of the the moral and ethical permissibility of its content. My immediate thoughts after viewing the film were: Who could write something so dark? Do the people involved in writing, producing, directing and acting out this piece seek out and/or receive counseling? Why would anyone want to actualize these series of moments labeled Gone Girl? What are the implications of sharing this type of artwork? Does all art have purpose?