Editor’s Notes: Dark Places opens in wide release August 7th.
Thanks to the success of 2014’s Gone Girl, there’s no doubt that Dark Places, another film adaptation of a Gillian Flynn novel, will receive two things. For one, it’ll be the recipient of fervent attention. Gone Girl, with David Fincher in the director’s chair, was a major critical success, starting conversation between all who watched it. Naturally, these same viewers would be curious about the next Flynn adaptation to come along. But, with that attention will come comparisons, drawn between Dark Places and Gone Girl. Now, if Dark Places held a candle to Gone Girl, that would potentially be a positive thing. Does it? I’d say no. But does that make it a bad film? Absolutely not.
Dark Places shouldn’t be compared to Gone Girl because of one important factor. The latter’s screenplay was written by Gillian Flynn herself, the former’s was not.
With this being said, though, Dark Places shouldn’t be compared to Gone Girl because of one important factor. The latter’s screenplay was written by Gillian Flynn herself, the former’s was not. Addressing themes is at the forefront in Gone Girl because Flynn knew her characters already, and never doubted her ability to make sure they translated onscreen. She didn’t need to focus on that because writing and establishing characters is similar across both film and literature as mediums, while conveying themes is not. With Dark Places, writer/director Gilles Paquet-Brenner had to write for characters he’d only observed, rather than created. Whether he consulted with Flynn or not, the majority of focus would always be allocated to “getting them right.” And, even if themes did eventually take shape, Paquet-Brenner would inadvertently make those themes his own, whether drastically or minimally. This was definitely the case with Dark Places, whose thematic qualities are shockingly well realized.
These notions are not particularly new, but they’re delivered in an understated way that makes them feel like they are. Paquet-Brenner can be commended for that.
Dark Places followsLibby Day (Charlize Theron), the aged survivor of her family’s farmhouse slaughter in the 1980’s, which she witnessed and fled from as a small child. Twenty-five years after testifying against her older brother, Ben, and sending him to prison, she’s approached by a young man (Nicholas Hoult) who, along with a group of investigators, believes that Ben is innocent. Money being her only motivation, as she’s experiencing a drought in that regard, Libby plays along. She doesn’t care what they find, as long as the investigation comes to an eventual end and her payment is followed through on. But as the investigation grows bigger, and as the film itself cuts to occasional flashbacks, Libby discovers far more than she was ready for about what really went on that night.
As a straightforward crime film, Dark Places isn’t particularly special. Paquet-Brenner’s frames fail to do more than minimally grasp the viewer’s attention, and the story is told in an indistinct manner that makes remembering every facet of each characters’ interactions somewhat challenging to follow. It’s in its strangely fantastic thematic exploration where the film thrives, dealing with the way public reputation affects the lives and behaviors of those affected by crime. How the victims or survivors of such atrocities as Libby’s can potentially be in a worse place than the perpetrators, marinating in their own broken mental state. And, maybe, how letting go and achieving closure with oneself can be a way out for them. These notions are not particularly new, but they’re delivered in an understated way that makes them feel like they are. Paquet-Brenner can be commended for that.
Though this adaptation is definitely undercooked in many respects, its deeper elements are very strong, giving otherwise empty scenes something to convey. This could have been something entirely hollow, purely a facelift of the book’s plot offering nothing else, but it tries to be something more, if undeniably uneven. It’s a mixed bag with thematic clarity, and I was certainly a fan of it.
7.0GOOD
Though this adaptation is definitely undercooked in many respects, its deeper elements are very strong, giving otherwise empty scenes something to convey. This could have been something entirely hollow, purely a facelift of the book's plot offering nothing else, but it tries to be something more, if undeniably uneven.
Brandon is attached to all forms of media, whether TV-related or social, but loves film the most. He strives to watch as much as possible, whenever possible.
