Dark Places
Based on the novel by Gillian Flynn, Dark Places stars Charlize Theron as Libby Day, a survivor of a family massacre 28 years ago, who now lives her life as a victim. A young child at the time, Libby, who did not actually witness the murders, is convinced by lawyers into believing her older brother, Ben (Corey Stall), committed the heinous acts. Leaving her orphaned, her mother and two young sisters were all killed in their farm home in Kansas. Sure that Ben was the murderer, Libby testifies against her teen-aged brother, landing him in jail for life. She refuses to come to terms with all that happened and refers to those memories as the “dark places” in her mind where you don’t want to visit.
Living all of her life financially dependent from the donations from compassionate others and the profits of a “ghost written” novel about the events of that fateful night, Libby finds herself nearly broke and on the verge of being homeless. She receives a letter with a paid invitation to be the guest of a secret society known as “The Kill Club”, consisting of murder obsessed “fans” who like to reenact murder scenes. Desperate for money, Libby agrees, only to find that she has been lied to and is actually attending the meeting of a group of people fighting to prove her brother Ben innocent after all these years. This “club” needs her input and help because his evidence files will be disposed of in three weeks time and she is the only one who can now help prove his innocence.
Although Libby has never doubted her recount of the murders after all these years, being “hired” to help the Kill Club investigate further she begins to question for the first time what really happened. Libby begins to track down all of the people from her past to find out more information, including a visit to her brother for the first time in jail. Ben has never once filed for appeal, which makes Libby believe in her heart he is guilty. Ben is happy and tearful to see his sister only to realize she is now hard and, in her own words, “mean” from life. Seeing Libby after 25 years, it is a powerful statement when he tells her that they have both been “imprisoned” all their lives.
Dark Places is an intriguing murder mystery filled with many different characters and plot twists and turns. You find yourself consumed with the storyline, constantly trying to “solve the case”. Just when you think you know what happened, new evidence is revealed keeping you guessing. It’s definitely not as good as Flynn’s “Gone Girl” but nonetheless a very entertaining and suspenseful film with a solid 8 out of 10 stars.
