The Girl on the Train

Monterey Media | Release Date: July 3, 2014

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MyDistUniverseDec 26, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. You must have been living under a rock not to at least have heard of the movie The Girl On The Train. Well, I wasn't living under a rock and I had in fact heard of the film. I even saw the cinema listings. But for some reason the movie never really registered with me. I saw no ads or trailers anywhere and subsequently I had no idea what the movie was all about either; it was just quietly sitting on the shelf so to speak.
Which is a shame really, as I discovered almost by accident. In search of something to watch this week I went through the listings and saw that the movie was still running. So, I quickly checked out the trailer. It looked reasonably interesting and the decision to watch the film was made.
It’s decision that I am very glad about, because it is an excellent movie.
Rachel Watson is a chronically drunk girl, who rides on the train into New York every day. She constantly nurses a bottle of what seems to be water at first. We later learn that the bottle is actually filled with alcohol instead of water. This explains why she is getting drunker by the hour as the day progresses.
The train passes the house she used to live in with her now ex-husband. She obsessively stalks said ex-husband from the train, and as it turns out otherwise, who lives in the house now with his new wife and their baby daughter.
While she’s at it, she also keeps track of the young couple next door to her ex. She envies them their perfect life, which she perceives to be full of love, romance and passion. Rachel wants this kind of life for herself, but she realises that in her broken alcoholic state she is nowhere near of getting it.
The story is very cleverly told from the perspective of all three women: Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt) - the girl on the train, Anna Watson (Rebecca Ferguson) - the new wife and Megan Hipwell (Haley Bennett) - the girl next door.
One day Rachel witnesses Megan on the balcony of her house with another man. They seem close, kissing. Rachel gets upset, because she feels that the other woman is about to throw her perfect life away. In her drunken stupor she gets off the train to confront Megan.
The next morning she wakes up with blood and bruises all over her face and body. She realises that she can’t remember anything that happened the previous evening. To her horror she is then interviewed by the police about her whereabouts that night because Megan has disappeared.
Rachel realises that she is unable to recollect important points in her life. Up until her divorce her husband told her what she’s been up to in her drunken fit. But now she just has gaps in her memory. She decides to sober up and joins the AA for help. In an effort to gain back her sanity and to find out what really happened that fateful night she starts her own investigation into Megan’s disappearance, which turns all the more urgent when Megan’s body is found in the nearby woods.
Emily Blunt is putting on an incredible performance in her portrayal of Rachel Watson. I can only imagine the emotional drain of filming some of the scenes. The wobbly and shaky camera work really supports the drunken stages of the character, slowly becoming steady and into focus as Rachel sobers up.
As it turns out neither Anna nor Megan have perfect lives, which comes as no surprise to anyone watching. But the realisation of the truth about this undeniable fact in life helps Rachel to cope with battling her own demons.
The role of the ex-husband Tom Watson is played by Justin Theroux. I have not seen much of him yet. To be honest I only know of him because of his marriage to Jennifer Aniston. And while I’m sure that he is a perfectly nice person in real life, Mr. Aniston plays a creep worryingly well. His performance turns from protective husband to creep to sinister in one big smooth sweeping motion.
A small but pivotal role is played by Lisa Kudrow. She plays Martha, the wife of Tom’s ex-boss, who’s input sets events in motion that eventually lead to solving the mystery.
Overall I am really glad I watched this movie, because it is an excellent story told in a really interesting and brilliant way.… Expand

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