A.J. Merch
Staff Writer
amerchant1@umassd.edu
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a movie that I always knew I wanted to watch but never got around to. I had seen posters for it a lot when I was growing up and had a huge infatuation for what it could solely be about. But at the time I never did because of the rating and I was too busy in my own cartoon world. Until I saw it on Netflix as of lately, I had already had a huge admiration for the director David Flinch and his projects that I loved like Gone Girl, Seven, and F**** C***(If you know you know).
This movie was amazing but I must say, it does go places that I’m glad I’m grown to handle. So I must warn whoever chooses to watch this to be careful because the movie addresses sexual assault in a very graphic form but shows the resilience of the female character and how she copes. So Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, follows a disgraced finically reporter played by Daniel Craig who gets a second chance after being hired by wealthy industrialist to solve the murder of his niece. He is later helped by an unusual investigator played by Rooney Mara whose fragile trust is not easily gained by anyone. I will say that both Craig and Mara journeys are strong throughout the movie.
You as a viewer are always wondering how will these people collide and come together. But their stories are unique when solely shown by themselves and grow to make you love them when they come together. I root for Mara because her character is fragile and a very interesting outsider because of differences. She is very much an outsider in the world on the inside and outside just like how the world views her. But thats beside the point, as we follow the murder case, we unravel some chilling things which makes me question and not know what to expect yet.
Craig is in a similar boat because he just doesn’t know what he is supposed to expect but he pushes forward. I also had this moment of dislike for the family which I find is one of those families that keep their secrets close to heart and the twist was something else but interesting. Something that I should’ve noticed from the start.
6Other than that I loved this movie with all my heart it has entered my top ten favorite movies because I find it unusual and test what you expect and what you can take. I recommend everyone should take a minute to choose if they want to watch this. It’s a great film but some parts are something that some people can’t digest based on their own issues. So I’m putting this as a warning and it should be taken for it for those that can stomach it and use it for better understanding of the character the abuse is directed to and how they take and overcome it.