Periodically, a scene in a movie poses a moral question that doesn’t have a straightforward answer.
While on the surface, Gone Baby Gone (2007), is a neo-noir mystery film, it presents an ethical dilemma that is certain to haunt several viewers.
Patrick and Angie
Ben Affleck’s directorial debut is the adaptation of a Dennis Lehane novel. The story, at least at the outset, is reasonably simple:
3-year-old Amanda, the daughter of a problematic and cocaine-addled mother Helene (Amy Ryan) has been abducted.
A family member hires private investigators Patrick (Casey Affleck) and Angie (Michelle Monaghan) to find Amanda.
Helene says that Amanda’s doll, Mirabelle, was also taken.
Helene
The film then proceeds through the conventional rhythms of a neo-noir mystery. Until a specific event upends the narrative.
Here Be Spoilers
Around halfway through the film, Patrick, Angie and Police Captain Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman) attempt to set up an exchange for Amanda with the kidnappers at a deserted Quarry.
The meeting goes awry and Amanda falls and drowns in the river.
Mirabelle, her doll, is recovered from the river. Captain Doyle takes responsibility for Amanda’s death and retires.
A few months later, following another investigation, Patrick and Angie head to Doyle’s house – Amanda is there, safe and sound.
And that is the film’s endgame – Doyle staged everything to ‘adopt’ Amanda, having lost his own daughter years ago.
Patrick threatens to call the authorities. But Doyle pleads him to see the bigger picture.
Throughout the film, we’ve been presented with the many foibles of Helene, Amanda’s mother.
She’s a heavy cocaine user, reckless, irresponsible, has affiliations with drug lords, and is all around not a good person.
While Doyle and his wife are upright citizens. Amanda is seen to be happy with them.
But Patrick does the ‘right’ thing, even though Angie tells him it’s the wrong call and that she will hate him if he does it.
Amanda returns to her mother.
And then comes the scene.
Patrick goes to visit Helene and Amanda. Helene is going out on a date and asks Patrick to babysit Amanda. She hasn’t changed.
Patrick agrees. As he sits down next to Amanda, he sees her playing with her doll. “Mirabelle?” Patrick asks. “Annabelle,” says Amanda.
Helene didn’t know the name of her daughter’s favourite toy.
And in that moment, Patrick is overwhelmed.
Did he do the right thing? Would Amanda have been better off with Captain Doyle? Has he ruined her life by ‘saving’ her from Doyle and returned her to Helene?
And that is precisely the question the film leaves us with – is the right thing always the thing to do?
As the film ends with a shot of Patrick and Amanda, we can see Patrick’s mind mulling over that question.
The film implies that he made a mistake.
What would you do? Could the 'right' thing to do be wrong?
Image source Google
Thanks for Reading
0 Comments