Review of The Girl on the Train (2016) by K Nife C — 25 Oct 2016

The poor reception of this film isn't baffling to me, but I do feel like it is unwarranted. Emily Blunt does a spot on performance as a functional alcoholic. She is the reason one should see this film.

There are plot twists and turns that, while predictable, remain effective enough. And the pacing allows for it. The film follows Blunt's delirium, and the editing and camera work keep the plot in a dreamy haze.

As for the story, I bandy about the the derisive "Lifetime Network Original" descriptor to a lot of films that I don't like, mostly because they aren't made for me or they are overly melodramatic.

I usually find that funny. Compared to films from the 50's and 60's, this style of melodrama used to be completely acceptable to critics, but now everyone craves some form of brutal realism in their dramas and thrillers.

Honestly, I don't see how this film could have worked in any other context than as presented. Gaslighting is a central theme, and in order to demonstrate the incredulity of turning victimization against the victim, the film had to go to extremely absurd lengths to be effective.

"The Girl on the Train" takes use of disbelief to the extreme. But I never felt insulted by it, as if it were condescending. It always served the emotional purpose of the film, and that is an essential aspect of melodrama.

Any genre can be done well in the proper context, and I wasn't expecting "Mulholland Drive". I got what I was expecting, and this is a well shot, well acted film about infidelity and loss.