Marriage Story | Film Review

Hey Guys x

Welcome to my first post of 2020!

I've actually been putting off writing this review. I saw the film ages ago now, and while I was watching it I wrote my notes for my review. But for some reason, I felt like my notes weren't enough, like they didn't truly capture how I felt about the film. And I think this is because I didn't know how I truly felt about the film until I saw it for the second time and could finally pinpoint the things that I did and didn't like.

Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) are a couple who are on the brink of divorce. As they go through the painful process and see their relationship examined under a microscope, they are both forced to discover that their marriage was never what they thought it was.

I loved this film, I really did. But I have to say that there were also some things that I didn't like. The problem with this is that I feel both extremes - the things that I liked, I loved, and the things that I didn't like, I hated.

I'll start with the things that I loved, which begin with the first scene(s), which is so powerful and beautifully written that it sets a precedent for the rest of the film.

The arguments that this couple have are so raw that they're shocking. One main argument scene has been getting a lot of criticism online, but it's honestly one of the only near-perfect, realistic, more heartbreaking scenes in the movie (sans wall punch, which should never have been included).

This story is told through two different points of view and does this in such a seamless way. Not only is it interesting and unique, but it's also extremely necessary for a story like this.

Something I loved was the way that it captured the fact that children have no filter, and no sense of sensitivity. This makes some of the scenes absolutely heartbreaking - depending on whose side you're on.

The scene in Nicole's family home is hilarious, and one of the only scenes that felt like it could have been improvised.

Speaking of sides, it's really easy to get caught up in trying to see one of these characters as the 'bad guy', but the film makes it clear that there are definite faults on both sides.

Adam Driver completely carries this film. Of course Scarlett Johansson is a great co-star, but it really is Adam's film. His scenes were the best scenes in the film, and even his reactions to what Scarlett's character does become so much more powerful than her reactions to him.

One of my favourite things about the film (or rather, the thing that I found the most interesting) is that it felt like a play. Specifically it reminded me of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, because of the use of the background characters. In a lot of Greek plays, there is a 'Chorus' which is basically a group of people who explain through lyrics what the audience missed, and also give their take on the situation. This film did exactly that, using Charlie's theatre company, and it had a really great effect.

However, as mentioned, there were some things that I really didn't like, and it took two watches to really understand what they were.

And to be honest, my dislike boils down to the writing. Not that this isn't well written (because it's one of the best-written films that I've ever seen), but the fact that it's overwritten, with clearly no room for improvisation.

Some parts of the film are so overwritten that some scenes feel really inauthentic and wooden, like the actors are literally reading off a piece of paper. This particularly hit me during Nicole's monologue when she meets her divorce lawyer for the first time. It didn't feel real.

In addition, there are so many sweeping monologues that feel like they go on for way longer than they need to. Again, it didn't feel real at certain points.

And as well as the writing, the music also felt over the top. It was beautiful, but it felt like it was trying to force out some deep sadness that the audience didn't need to feel in order to empathise.

Overall, as much as I didn't like those things about the film, I still really loved it and thought it was one of the best films of 2019. It's on Netflix, so go watch it if you haven't!

8/10

Lou