MOVIE ANALYSIS BYTANYA GERITSIDOU AND EVANGELIA SKORDARA

DARK PLACES

OUTLINE ꞉● Introduction● Brief movie presentation● Meeting Libby Day- Libby as a child, her history and background- Libby as a grown up- Diagnosis for PTSD and DA● PTSD Prevalence and Etiology● PTSD therapeutic interventions, Risk and protective factors● Conclusion

INTRODUCTIONThe movie is adapted from a bestselling mystery novel written by Gillian Flynn in 2009. In the artistic constraints of telling a suspense crime mystery story, the movie has managed to portray Libby’s psychopathology rather accurately. All required diagnostic criteria are adequately presented, both for DA and for PTSD, based on DSM-5, especially when we take into account Libby’s own statements regarding her off-screen behavioral patterns.

MOVIE PRESENTATION ꞉The movie is set in a farming town, Kinnakee, Kansas. Libby Day is the survivor of a horrid and much- publicised night of multiple homicides of her two sisters and mother. Libby is forced to give a rather shaky statement against her brother Ben as the sole perpetrator, which she also adopts as her narrative of what happened that night. She grows up living off capitalizing on what happened and her status as a victim. Continuous distress prevents her from typical inclusion in social and occupational life.3 weeks before Ben’s case’s evidence is destroyed, Libby is approached by a group of amateur investigators known as “The Kill Club” who believe Ben is innocent and hire her to help with their investigation.

MOVIE PRESENTATION ꞉

It is through this process, and encouraged or pushed actively by Lyle, her contact from the Kill Club, that Libby faces the challenge of unearthing the painful memories of the event, face her abusive, psychologically distorted father and imprisoned brother and fight her own demons in order to reach catharsis.

Meeting Libby Day

Libby Day’s History and Background꞉ Libby Day, at the time of the murders, was an 8 year

old child living in Kinnakee, a rural area in Kansas, with her mother, her two older sisters and her brother Ben. Her father left the family when Libby was only 2 years old and as Libby mentions, “ I didn’t know him”. He was a farmer but had no stable occupation, he was engaged in drug dealing and he was an alcoholic himself. He owed people money and for this reason, he would occasionally visit Libby’s family, in order to claim money. He was abusive to the mother and rather indifferent or even insulting to his children.

Runner Day – The abusive husband

Runner Day – Evidence of child maltreatment

Runner Day – Evidence of child maltreatment

Note that all abusive incidences (verbal and physical) were taken place in the presence of children. When a problem came up (pregnant girlfriend) Runner Day showed no empathy towards his son, he was insulting and offered no substantial or usable advice or help.

Aunt Diane

Libby’s family encountered serious financial difficulties and as it is mentioned in the movie, the mother was forced to sell her agricultural machines in order to gain extra income and be able to pay the farm’s loan. A lot of their household belongings came from goodwill! Libby’s aunt was a supportive figure to the family, who was trying to help, even though she was not living with them. She used to bring food, candies and toys to the girls, be supportive and empathetic to her sister and was really concerned about the nurturing of her nephews.

Patty Krause Day – the mother Despite their poverty the mother was trying to take care of her

children and follow some rules. However because of the severe financial issues she faced and the lack of support from her husband’s side she was actually failing to show unconditional love and affection to her children. As Libby mentions in the movie when she recalls her mother “…that night she turned to me and told me she loved me, she hardly ever told us she loved us, that’s why I remember it ”.

Her inadequacy as a mother was something that Patty Day recognized and it is repeatedly mentioned throughout the movie by blaming herself and expressing thoughts of despair and agony as well as suicidal implications

The above suggests she may have had undiagnosed depression or dysthymia.

Patty Krause Day – possible depression of the mother

Patty Krause Day – possible depression of the mother

THE MURDERS At the time when the murders took place, Libby was

sleeping at her mother’s bedroom. She was waken up by the shootings and the screaming of her mother and sisters. She could hear her brother Ben shouting but she hadn’t actually seen the murderer. She saw her mother dead and escaped through an open window. By the time she was found by the police, she was confused about what really had happened and she was actually forced by the police to testify against her own brother. She was trembling and crying, her testimony is presented below ꞉

“ I think I saw Ben as I was standing at the door of my mom’s room he was threatening her with our shotgun”

THE TESTIMONY

Highlighting the major issues of Libby’s infancy ꞉

Single parent family Possibly depressed, stressed mother (cause for maltreatment 1)

Abusive, indifferent father (cause for maltreatment 2)

Poverty, severe financial problems Witness the murder of her mother and older sisters (

major traumatic event in accord with DSM-5 criteria)

After the murders, her brother is sent to jail as the perpetrator of the crime because of her testimony, she experiences again a different type of loss.

She is left without any evident psychological care, no time to grieve, demands for public appearances and promotion

Libby as a grown up Libby is now a 33 year old woman with the

memories of her traumatic past haunting her. She has no contact with her father or her

imprisoned brother. Her aunt had died as well. She lives in a poor neighborhood and has no

stable income and no real job, she is actually making a living through donations or money that she gets from giving details about her past.

She shoplifts. She is a heavy smoker, but she drinks

occasionally.

Libby as a grown up

She neglects her physical appearance, she wears the same clothes every day.

She has low self-esteem “ I have mean inside me”. She has no friends or boyfriend and makes no

dreams about her future. She is rude, offensive and shows zero tolerance

when she is provoked. She looses interest very quickly and quits

everything without even trying.

Libby as a grown up She refuses to have any contact with her

imprisoned brother, and when they eventually meet, during their first meeting, she cannot maintain eye contact, she refuses to answer his questions about her personal life and expresses distress when he tries to compliment her or be nice.

FIRST MEETING IN PRISON

PTSD Diagnosis (DSM-5)

Direct exposure to traumatic event Intrusion symptoms:

Flashbacks Intense distress at cues that symbolize/

resemble traumatic event

Avoidance: Of distressing memories, thoughts and

feelings about the event External reminders of the event

Negative alterations in cognitions and mood: Inability to remember important aspects of

the traumatic event Persistent negative expectations and beliefs

about herself and others Persistent negative emotional state Feelings of detachment or estrangement

from others Persistent inability to feel positive emotions

Alterations to arousal and reactivity: Irritable behavior and angry

outbursts Hypervigilance Sleep disturbance

Duration more than 1 month

Significant distress and impairment in social and occupational functioning

Not attributable to physiological effects of a substance

DA Diagnosis (DSM-5)

Unable to recall autobiographical memory related to the traumatic event

The inability to recall the memories creates distress

The memory dysfunction does not have a physiological cause

The memory dysfunction is not DID

The memory dysfunction is not a result of substance use or abuse

Presented ‘treatment’ & problems

Libby is given psychological debriefing: She is helped

describe the events of the trauma

She is somewhat helped with the cognitions and emotions about the trauma

Problems with this method: It fails to relieve

psychological distress or prevent anxiety disorders

It can increase the severity of PTSD symptoms

Might hinder the recovery process

Actual Popular Treatment Methods

Trauma-focused CBT Expose patient to

memories or stimuli associated with the traumatic event

Teach / encourage them to think and cope with them in more adaptive ways

Challenge maladaptive cognitions

Reconstruct maladaptive narrative

EMDR Ask patient to generate

a mental image about the traumatic event

Follow therapist’s movements with the eyes while keeping the image in mind for 30 seconds

Talk about current thoughts and emotions

Repeat several times during a single session

Conclusion

The film adequately presents the symptoms for PTSD and DA, including several aspects of comorbidity and etiology (Libby’s alluded conduct disorder issues, her previous childhood maltreatment and other risk factors associated with her low SES).

The presented treatment which is shown to be efficient (i.e. a minimal level of psychological debriefing) is not only exaggerated but inappropriate for treatment of PTSD. Additional exaggeration can be argued to exist in the speed with which Libby recovers (under three weeks’ time) though adults have been documented to recover from PTSD by themselves- though not so when the PTSD’s onset was during childhood, as is implied to be the case with Libby’s character.

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