Gerald's Game

By the end of Gerald’s Game, Jessie has undergone a harrowing journey of survival and self-discovery. After realizing she must confront her deepest trauma, she slices her wrist and uses her blood to free herself from the handcuffs that bind her to the bed. She then crashes her car into the woods and is rescued by a kind couple. Despite the physical scars—particularly her injured hand—she survives and begins a new chapter with a sense of empowerment. She writes a letter to her younger self, symbolizing her acceptance of her past and hope for her future, and she channels her trauma into helping others by founding a victim’s aid organization. The ending seems optimistic but takes a dark turn with the reveal of Raymond Joubert, a real necrophile-serial killer who had been stalking her in her mind and, perhaps, in reality. Throughout the film, the spectral presence of Joubert manifests as the “Moonlight Man,” an unsettling figure who haunts her visions, blurring the line between her psychological trauma and a horrific real-world threat. In the final scenes, this figure is revealed to be more than a hallucination—Joubert was a genuine killer who had encountered Gerald and, by extension, Jessie. When Jessie confronts Joubert at his arraignment, she notices a strange, almost surreal connection: he calls her “not real” and makes a cryptic comment about her being smaller than he remembered, hinting that their true confrontation was with her fears and memories. Ultimately, Jessie’s escape signifies her reclaiming her life and mental health from the grip of her past, illustrating that confronting trauma and accepting it allows her to move forward. The story emphasizes that healing is an ongoing process—one that is rooted in acknowledging the darkest parts of ourselves to find hope and strength in the aftermath.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:44