Title: Gone
Director: Heitor Dhalia (‘Adrift,’ ‘Drained’)
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Daniel Sunjata (‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ TV’s ‘Grey’s Anatomy’) and Wes Bentley
Being kidnapped and left for dead, and not having anyone believe the terrifying story after escaping, is one of the most devastating experiences a person can go through in life. But having the kidnapper come back to finish the job years later, only to take a sibling instead, and still not have anyone believe the tale, is even more traumatizing. The new film ‘Gone’ puts a new spin on the psychological thriller genre, showcasing the lengths a person would go to in order to save their sibling in that situation. Unfortunately, the film hints at the suspect too earlier in the plot, leaving the rest of the story unintriguing and predictable.
‘Gone’ follows former kidnap victim Jill Parrish (played Amanda Seyfried), who has been spending the past two years since returning home from her abduction trying to convince the Portland police that she was indeed taken by a local predator. When she returns home one night from an overnight shift from her waitress job at a local diner, she discovers that her sister Molly (portrayed by Emily Wickersham) is missing. Jill knows that Molly wouldn’t leave without leaving her a message, especially after her ordeal and the fact that she has an important college final exam that afternoon. Jill is therefore convinced her kidnapper has come back for her, only to abduct her sister in her place when realizing she wasn’t home.
When Jill informs the police of Molly’s disappearance, Detectives Powers (played by Daniel Sunjata) and Erica Lonsdale (portrayed by Katherine Moenning) and Lieutenant Ray Bozeman (played by Michael Pare), who worked on her case when she first returned home, are skeptical of her theory. Even Molly’s boyfriend, Billy (portrayed by Sebastian Stan), questions Jill’s story, as he thinks Molly, a recovering alcoholic, may have started drinking again. However, Detective Peter Hood (played by Wes Bentley), who is new to the unit, believes Jill’s story, and offers to help, much to her reluctance.
The psychological thriller’s director, Heitor Dhalia, who is primarily known for directing and writing films in his native Brazil, deserves credit for taking a different approach to the genre. Instead of focusing on Jill’s own attempts to flee her kidnapper, ‘Gone’ sets out to show that no matter how normal of a life people settle into after living through a traumatic experience, time does little to settle their anxieties or paranoia. While viewers hope Jill safely finds her sister, Dhalia offers scare details on her own abduction two years before. The lack of information about the kidnapper’s motive or Jill’s escape unfortunately provides little sympathies for her reckless actions while trying to find Molly.
‘Gone’s short list of kidnapping suspects also makes the plot-line predictable and unsuspenseful. The man Jill comes to suspect as the kidnapper exhibits obvious actions of stalking her even before she realizes that Molly is missing. The whole premise of the movie is based on her struggle and determination to find out who and where he is, and the obvious, early reveal takes away the questioning if the whole scenario is just in her head.
With all of Jill’s attention and effort in finding this one suspect, the film unfortunately quickly discredits the police’s theories. Viewers are left questioning why Jill, who was involuntarily admitted to a mental facility upon returning home, found more information in less than a day than the police did in the two years since she returned home. Even with Jill’s determination and quick wit, ‘Gone’ is unable to build momentum and struggle between her and the alleged abductor; she even appears angrier at the police for not listening to her than the man who kidnapped her.
While Dhalia deserves credit for wanting to make a psychological thriller that focuses on the aftermath of an abduction, and how kidnap victims reintegrate into society upon returning home, ‘Gone’ disappointingly fails to build on Jill’s anxieties. While she exhibits paranoia of her abductor coming back to recapture her, since she’s his only victim who escaped, the movie focuses too quickly on one particular suspect. Despite not having any evidence, Jill still manages to track the suspect much more quickly and thoroughly than the police, making her seem more level-headed than the filmmaker presumably wanted.
Technical: C+
Acting: B-
Story: C
Overall: C+
Written by: Karen Benardello
