Malcolm & Marie Film Review

malcom-marie-review-an-extreme-dramatic-roller-coaster-attached-by-formidable-performances.jpg — 86/100 “sweet”

By: Keaton Marcus

Sam Levinson, the talented filmmaker behind the Emmy-winning series Euphoria has released his secret filmed-in-quarantine film Malcolm & Marie exclusively to Netflix, kicking off the movie season for 2021. Seemingly right after release, it utterly divided audiences, one half who thought it was an irritating piece of garbage and the other who claimed it was a masterpiece. I personally am more on the latter side for numerous reasons, and going into this with lowered expectations was the greatest thing ever. Although mildly flawed, this was a fantastic romantic drama. It had chemistry, style, a screenplay as gorgeous as its cinematography, and it was thrillingly enjoyable. I completely understand why so many people haven’t been able to connect with this movie. It portrays a toxic, cruel, and claustrophobic relationship. A love story bereft of actual romance. The dialogue is egotistical, lyrically written, and as a result, relentlessly entertaining.

Malcolm & Marie follows the titular characters (Washington and Zendaya) coming home from Malcolm's first movie premiere. The two engage in an emotionally exhausting conversation about the film's premise, Marie's emotional trauma, Malcolm's arrogance, and whether or not they should continue to be partners.

From the premise, readers can already tell that not all viewers were going to like this film. The actual plot is not nearly as important as its other aspects, and the storyline is criminally simple. Additionally, this was the ultimate depiction of two very egotistical partners, stuck in a literal box, having endless debates about their troubled marriage. Marie with her troubled past and Malcolm with his arrogance and ultimate fragility. The sound of this turned even me off initially and considering I’m one of the fewer people defending this, imagine how many other people thought this was going to be endless, monotonous bullshit? The thing is, it’s supposed to be exactly that. Criticisms for the film being self-indulgent and dull really turn into praise when you look at it from a different perspective. The cinematography, editing, direction, character choices, and performances all work in tandem to create a claustrophobic, uneasy and uncomfortable environment that puts viewers in an odd position. At least what I believe the vast majority of what people didn’t understand was that this was a toxic relationship. In turn, a toxic movie was in order. Without Malcolm’s seemingly never-ending monologues about critics or Marie’s whining about the past, this wouldn’t have worked.

This, unfortunately, is also what makes this movie so simple to hate on. The fact that it was necessary to make this a film where viewers begged to make the main characters shut up and stop complaining means that it has achieved its goal. That’s masterful filmmaking, and I will stand by that. These people aren’t supposed to be loving and kind to each other, they need to be absolute and utter poison and polar opposites. There are so many incredible things about this movie that it’s really becoming difficult to touch upon all of them, so I’d definitely like to give some sort of a spotlight to the primary aspects that just clicked for me.

First of all, contrary to what many believe, I was flat-out enthralled whenever John David Washington’s Malcolm took the floor for one of his massive arguments. It was almost like he was having a back-and-forth debate with his own head, messing with himself, perhaps even torturing his mind to destruction while Marie just watched in silence. His biggest monologue was after reading a surprisingly warm LA Times review about his new film before tearing it apart due to its inaccuracies. The sheer insight that Levinson and Washington provide into the ignorance of movie reviewers was unbelievable. I don’t want to sound like a pretentious douche, but my mind was legitimately blown. Whenever this man showed up on-screen, he took an indelible piece of my heart and tore it apart. Its critiques on how art should be judged and how modern society looks upon racial and gender politics are, heartbreakingly, completely valid. Furthermore, this is a total technical achievement, and I would be surprised if the Oscars don’t give this some serious appreciation for the cinematography. The filming techniques used make Malcolm and Marie’s surroundings feel like characters, boxing them in, controlling them with their own emotions. As I mentioned, it makes both audiences and the characters feel confined, cramped, and enclosed in a tight space that further bursts the seams of their relationship.

Talking about the actual performances, both of them were actually quite phenomenal. When the running time got a little too long, or when the arguments became a tad too repetitive, John David Washington and Zendaya never turned me off. When in doubt, turn to these two and you’ll still have a terrific time. Washington is likely the stand-out of the film for me, and his big, egotistical bravado worked flawlessly for his character. However, what’s really impressive about both his performance and the screenwriting is that you also feel sympathy for the guy. You hate him for the majority of the movie, but it’s also emotionally painful to see him go through what he does. Zendaya was perfectly solid despite being a little one-note, but this overall worked for her character until she finally bursts in the final act. Her character has gone through severe emotional trauma with drug addiction in the past, and the back-and-forths the two have about how whether Malcolm’s main character in his movie was based on her or not are exceptional. For one moment you think Washington is straight-up exploiting her, but then in another, he explains himself with a detailed answer on why the character is based on multiple people from his life.

I understand all the hate on this film, I really do. It’s hard to warm up and enjoy a movie with two very unlikable, mean main characters and self-indulgent dialogue, but it sure worked for me. The camera work is gorgeous, the performances work for their roles flawlessly, and director Sam Levinson creates a stunning atmosphere while also giving both Malcolm and Marie considerable depth. In terms of flaws, I already stated them. Occasionally, it can feel like the arguments are simply filler moments used to make the movie longer. It could have been a lot shorter, perhaps even a short film itself, but it didn’t ruin the experience for me.

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