‘Gone Girl’ Ending Explained: Why Did Amy Return To Nick?

‘Gone Girl‘ is a 2014 movie directed by David Fincher, who is known for his psychological thriller plot twists. But ‘Gone Girl’ undoubtedly is one of his best works. It stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, and Emily Ratajkowski along with Neil Patrick Harrison in a cameo role. The film took the world by storm in 2014, earning Pike an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. The movie is based on a novel of the same name, written by Gillian Flynn.

The movie begins with Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), a Missouri man being questioned by the media and police about his wife Amy Dunne’s sudden disappearance. Throughout the movie, the audience gains a deeper perspective on Amy and Nick’s relationship. It slowly unthreads Amy’s unstable mind and impulsive thoughts. We get an answer as to whether Nick killed Amy – reasonably quickly actually, as ‘Gone Girl‘ has plenty more twists and turns to come before the credits roll. Given the sheer amount of lying, fake evidence, and manipulation that takes place throughout the film, it’s understandable that a few details may not seem clear – especially with a rather polarizing ending that left some viewers baffled.

‘Gone Girl’: Ending Explained

‘Gone Girl‘ is a kind of movie, wherein you think you can decode the end, but fail to do so, as the ending always hit with an unseen twist. After an interview with a heartbroken Nick, Emily decides to show up at their residence. Leaving the audience with soo many unanswered questions. Emily murders her ex-boyfriend, Desi, and returns to Nick covered in blood, allegedly staging it as her kidnap. Shockingly even Nick had a game plan to bring her back home- being the ‘amazing Nick’ she always wanted.

After confessing to Nick about the murder, he was still helpless, why? He also threatens to leave her, but Amy points out that leaving his recently kidnapped wife would ruin his reputation. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any substantive evidence pointing towards Amy and secondly, she was pregnant with Nick’s child. Scared of leaving the child alone with an unstable woman, Nick decides not to expose her neurotic behavior. Amy wins, and Nick will spend the rest of his child’s life in a dysfunctional relationship with her.

How Is the Ending of the Movie Different From the Book?

The biggest plot twist of all, however, is that ‘Gone Girl‘ film is a rare film that is actually rather faithful to Gillian Flynn‘s 2012 book. There are a few key plot threads that were cut for time, however, both Amy’s parents and Nick’s father have primal roles in the book. The book also goes into detail about how Amy’s parents often mourn the several miscarriages they have experienced, to which Amy adds yet more pure role models that she will never be able to live up to on top of the Amazing Amy books.

However, there are a few more differences as the book ends with a slight pretense of hope. Desi’s mother refuses to believe Amy’s version of the truth and hysterically blames her for Desi’s death. Amy also thinks she has won, thinking that Nick has seemingly transformed into the man of her dreams and loves her under her strict conditions. However, on the final page of the book, when Amy asks why Nick is being so nice to her, he responds: “Because I feel sorry for you… because every morning you have to wake up and be you.” This line clearly unsettles Amy which suggests that perhaps the Dunnes will not be able to keep up with the ‘amazing Nick’ charade after all.