Is Rosamund Pike film I Care A Lot based on a true story?

The dark comedy, which also stars Game of Thrones legend Peter Dinklage and The Mindy Project actor Chris Messina, tells the story of a legal guardian, Marla Grayson, who abuses her position to steal money from the elderly. She moves them into care homes unnecessarily, then sells their houses and pockets the cash.

Grayson is the kind of ruthless, disturbing character that will leave you unsettled to your core, just like Pike's role as Amy in Gone Girl. But there's something about her that has a ring of truth.

Indeed, fans have been left wondering whether the film might actually be based on a true story?

Writer and director J Blakeson has addressed these questions by confirming that Grayson is a fictional character with a fictional ward. But he admits he was inspired by true stories about other guardians who acted unethically.

“It started when I saw news stories about real-life predatory guardians who game the system and exploit their wards. And I was horrified. Imagine opening your door one day and there is a person standing there holding a piece of paper that gives them total legal power over you. That idea terrified me—and seemed very relevant right now."

After spending hours on the internet reading about such cases, Blakeson began to form his own idea for a script. “[I was] reading lots of stories and became horrified about the terrible things that so many of them were doing—especially given that most of their actions existed in a legal loophole,” he explains.

“This provided a lot of themes that interested me, like ambition, the American Dream, and humans becoming commodities. So the story started there. I sat and wrote it on my own and very quickly it formed into what is now I Care A Lot.”

So there you have it - not a true story exactly, but inspired by a very real problem.

Pike, who is nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance, told Vogue, "In doing this film I didn’t take a deep dive into the politics of it; I needed to let Marla tell a story. It’s a fiction, but as we know, it’s based on something that can happen.”

I Care A Lot is available now on Amazon Prime Video. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide.