Gerald's Game Psychological Analysis

The movie chosen is Gerald’s Game, this film is perfect because of the role psychology has in Jess’ life from the beginning. In the opening scene Jess is seen packing a suitcase with clothes, this is because she will soon be leaving on a trip with Gerald to a secluded lake house where they hope to revitalize their love life . Skipping to the scene when they are in the car we see Gerald try to place his hand on Jess’ lap and she flinches. This is a foreshadow of what we later learn about her past. This scene is also the first scene in which psychology is shown in the form of PTSD. PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder, is a reoccurring mental and emotional stress as a result of injury or severe psychological shock. Traumatizing events can cause

There are various reasons why a victim of such abuse might not what to disclose their abuse with anyone. One reason being the shame, this is a primary reason why victims do not speak about their encounters with such demons. They are afraid of what others might say, for example, “you asked for it” “you deserved it” “you could have dressed differently”. In “Gerald’s Game” Jess is seen wearing a short sundress during this flashback which she goes on to say in later scenes that her mom warned her was too short. This feeling of shame usually causes victims to blame themselves for what happened to them, feeling shame is almost always accompanied by a sense of being unworthy or exposed which causes victims to

Being in the state she was in, Jess dozes off and sees herself driving into the eclipse with the moonlight man in her backseat who resembles her father when he whispers into her ear “mouse”. Following this she crashes the car into a tree by one of the neighbors houses where they find her thanks to Jess being able to honk the horn of the car aiding them on the search for her body. In the next scene we see Jess well and recovered from the accident writing a letter to herself as a child for closure after all those years of not getting any. In the search for information in the newspapers Jess comes across a picture and headline of Joubert or the moonlight man. At this moment she realizes he was real after all and her strength through everything is what saved her from him because she did not show him fear. This lead to her realization she could no longer live in this eclipse she had been living in for so many years, it was “time for the sun to come out”. Jess shows up to the Joubert’s arraignment where she walks up to him and sees him in the form of the men who had hurt her in the past, seeing him for the ugly all those men had been she tells him “you are so much smaller than i remember”. This is because with time Jess grew so much emotionally, mentally and physically that she could now stand up for herself. The last scene Jess walks into the eclipse, transforming from a victim of