'Gerald's Game' (2017) is a film that was on my list of films to watch from the very beginning of this project. I knew absolutely nothing about it other than the fact that it is based on a Stephen King story and it involved a woman handcuffed to a bed. I had no idea what to expect going in and I can confirm that it was an enjoyable, if at times very uncomfortable, viewing experience. The film follows a married couple, Jessie (Carla Gugino) and Gerald Burlingame (Bruce Greenwood), who have gone to their summer home for the weekend. The aim of their weekend is to spice up their sex life and, in turn, save their marriage. Handcuffs are involved with Jessie being attached to the bed by Gerald. However, things take a horrific turn when Gerald has a heart attack and dies, leaving Jessie handcuffed and stuck to the bed. Becoming dehydrated and starving, Jessie starts to lose her mind and sees images of Gerald and herself talking her through the situation while also recalling repressed memories from her childhood. As the hours pass the situation seems dire with Jessie struggling to free herself and keep her sanity at the same time.
Stephen King is the master of taking a really simple premise and enhancing it to make engaging, and this film is no different. The main premise is a woman being handcuffed to a bed unable to escape, but the introduction of hallucinations and the recalling of repressed memories is what makes this film a really interesting watch, and of course the screen writer and director have to take credit for doing a great job adapting this for the screen. It is a really interesting and smartly written screenplay which keeps you intrigued and interested throughout. I also do need to mention that there is an aspect of the narrative that is deeply uncomfortable and a little upsetting, but it does add an extra dimension to the narrative and characters so does have a place in the film. The narrative does drag at some points and it falsl off a cliff with the ending which seems completely tacked on and ridiculous, but it is mostly solid and intriguing throughout. The film is also visually really good. The use of hallucinations allows for some really fun visuals as well as adding an element of unease as you are unsure if what Jessie is seeing is real or not. There are also some brilliant moments of cinematography. There is an ongoing motif of a solar eclipse which is a beautiful visual to see, something the filmmakers clearly agreed with as they use the image on several occasions. The film also has some really effective practical gore effects. One in particular was superbly effective and the director does not hold back on showing it. It had me squirming and I had to look away at points because it was that gruesome. This isn't to be seen as a bad thing, it just shows how effective the effect was.
For a film like this where the majority of the story is confined to one room and with one character confined to a bed for 90% of the runtime it was pretty vital that the performances were strong ones and luckily they are. Although we do see other characters in flashbacks and such, it is really in the performances of Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood where the film is strongest. Greenwood is very good as Gerald. He portrays a man who is suave and charming but with a dark undercurrent to him. His performance hints at this darkness before it is fully revealed, and he is equally good when he does eventually go over the edge. Carla Gugino is superb in this film. Her performance is completely believable throughout and you fully invest into her plight. It is an extremely difficult performance to pull off. She is confined to a bed for the majority of the runtime and the fact that she is able to get across all the emotion that this performance requires while under these constraints is testament to her as an actor. She runs the gamut from pure terror to overwhelming desire to survive brilliantly and she fully deserves credit for the performance.
'Gerald's Game' is the second Stephen King adaptation I have reviewed for these lockdown reviews and, although it is not the quality of 'Misery' (1990), it is still a very solid film. It is a clever script and the way it is put onto screen allows for interesting visuals and an intriguing narrative that keeps you mostly hooked until the pretty terrible ending. It can be quite disturbing and difficult to watch at times, but the superb performances mean that these moments have an emotional weight to them rather than feeling grim for the sake of it. It is a film I would recommend, although I don't think it is necessarily one for repeat watching. I will say it again though, this films narrative is quite upsetting at times so if you are thinking of watching it keep that in mind.