4 Movies That Portray Gaslighting
Sometimes, things aren’t always what they seem. And sometimes, that’s by design.
Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse in which the abuser makes their victim question their own reality through manipulation. This includes their memories and thoughts too. Gaslighting is a means of coercive control and can have serious mental and emotional impacts on victims.
Recognizing gaslighting can be crucial for avoiding its negative effects and breaking free from toxic relationships. These four movies portray gaslighting to help you understand the phenomenon better.
1. Gaslight (1944)
Gaslight is the film that originated the term gaslighting. The 1944 film stars Ingrid Bergman as Paula Alquist. When Paula’s famous opera singer aunt passes away, Paula moves to Italy to study opera singing. While in Italy, Paula meets Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer).
Eventually, Gregory and Paula move back to London. Upon their return, Paula begins to experience strange things such as gaslights that dim without being touched. Slowly but surely, Paula begins questioning her own mind.
2. Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles) are a happily married couple and residents of the idyllic Victory, California, a 1950s desert company town. The men of Victory all work at Victory Headquarters in the surrounding desert while the women stay home and are prohibited from asking about their husbands’ work lives as well as entering HQ.
Eventually, Alice’s beautiful life begins to crumble before her eyes, despite her husband trying to convince her to the contrary.
3. The Invisible Man (2020)
The Invisible Man is a terrifying psychological horror movie starring Elizabeth Moss. In the film, Moss plays Cecilia, a woman who has just left her abusive relationship. However, when her ex stages his own suicide, he begins to stalk and gaslight her, despite the fact no one believes her (including the police). And so, Cecilia decides to take matters into her own hands.
4. The Girl On The Train (2016)
The Girl On The Train follows Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt), a divorcee who commutes by train to NYC for work. Each day, the train passes her old home that she shared with her ex-husband. He still lives there, but now with his new wife and kid.
To try not to focus on her ex, Rachel begins to turn her attention to another couple who lives a few houses down named Scott and Megan, a seemingly happy and perfect pair. However, after Rachel sees something shocking one day in their backyard. And then, Megan goes missing.
Rachel reports what she witnessed to authorities but takes the investigation into her own hands despite struggling to trust her own memory.
