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While Gone Girl the movie remains faithful to the book, the film emphasizes one notable aspect of Flynn’s novel: the media. The most significant change made in the film—the last scene which is a television interview—is a detail that was not in the book. In this final scene Nick “confronts” the media once more after being persecuted for the entire film and Amy reveals to the world that she is pregnant. The pair’s actions reveal an inherent paradox within the media - it is both an incredibly valuable tool in transmitting information, but also capable of perpetuating and exploiting misinformation.

Whatever the film has to say about marriage, it seems especially important to Fincher that it all plays out in public view, whether by way of print, cable news or social media on the internet. Public scrutiny is built into the plot - Nick’s possible involvement in the potential murder of his wife. However, the public focuses primarily on Nick’s and Amy’s appearance as husband and wife and society’s expectations of whether they have or have not successfully played those roles. For instance, Nick virtually instantaneously becomes guilty in “the court of public opinion” once his extra-marital affair becomes public. By this logic, the media has presented a flawed equation that a cheating husband equals a murderous husband. Similarly, once Amy’s pregnancy is announced to the press by her vapid neighbor (which is not just a coincidence but a premediated plan that Amy set in motion), Amy assumes a madonna-like public persona as the unwitting victim of a lying, villainous husband.

Stories about marriage often deal with public perceptions, but Gone Girl feels particularly modern because it’s rooted in contemporary media. The media’s role in civilian life has become more pervasive and more intrusive than ever before, especially with the ubiquity of social media. (Public opinions are immediately gauged through platforms like Twitter, and these same platforms are even used by Amy to spread misinformation.) With cable news turning towards commentary (i.e., the Ellen Abbott character which seems based off of an amalgam of Nancy Grace-like persona) and social media giving everyone a soapbox to transmit their views to the world, contemporary media has become even more critical of individuals. This isn’t too far from the world David Fincher created for his Netflix adaptation of House of Cards - the media has the same presence in the Midwest, prying into Nick and Amy as they would into the activities on Capitol Hill.

The underlying truths that the film suggests about marriage are much more complex, just as blaming the amorphous hydra of the “media” cannot be reduced to simple notions of cause and effect. Partners in a marriage are expected to play a role and when they stop doing so, the marriage fractures. From Amy’s perspective, Nick has failed their marriage and she wants revenge, thereby concocting an elaborate scheme to force Nick to pay. Amy does not just want Nick to suffer privately, but to be publicly shamed and, as a result, she exploits the media machines to her own advantage. Amy counts on the press broadcasting a story that capitalizes on the stereotypes of a neglectful cheating husband and an innocent pregnant virtuous wife. The media serves as Amy’s vehicle to force Nick back in line - back into the role of dutiful husband. Interestingly, Nick accepts his fate and stays in the marriage. Even though he appears to be frightened and disgusted by his wife, some irresistible primal impulse compels Nick to accept the fact that Amy’s psychosis excites him. A marriage to Amy may be life-threatening, but it also will be perpetually stimulating.