Cinema has long mined from the wealth of classic stories to present them in a new light. When it comes to David Fincher‘s Gone Girl — or, more accurately, Gillian Flynn‘s novel and script — they take a specific inspiration from Euripides‘ Greek tragedy Medea, first performed in 431 B.C., according to a great new video essay by Ivana Brehas.
While she’s not the first to offer up the connection, through overlaying the original text on top of Fincher’s film, it offers a compelling argument that will have you eager to give it a re-watch. The original play follows a former princess who is abandoned by her husband when he finds a younger replacement (aka “cool girl”), so she enacts revenge in an even darker way than Gone Girl, killing this new woman along with the children Medea had with him.
Check out the video essay below, and for much more, explore the making of the film through Fincher’s eyes.
What do you think of the video essay? Do you agree with the connection?