Malcolm & Marie | Film Review

I've heard quite a bit about this film, both before it was released, and immediately after it came out on Netflix. I wouldn't say I was particularly excited to see it, but I was very interested in it.

Tensions boil over and a relationship changes forever when a filmmaker and his girlfriend return home from his movie premiere. 

I have mixed feelings about this film. I liked it more than I initially thought I would, but overall I'm not a huge fan. 

But as I said, there were definitely things that I liked about it. For a start, the premise of the film is interesting. There's a reason why films like Marriage Story are popular - because it's always interesting to see the inner-workings of a relationship that's not your own. And Malcolm (John David Washington) and Marie's (Zendaya) relationship is interesting.

Particularly with this couple, while watching them argue, we can see just how well, and how intimately, they know each other; because they know exactly how to hurt each other. Their pasts, and therefore their characters, were written well.

Something that stuck out to me (and this might just be because of other films I've watched recently), was that their argument scenes feel exactly like a Rap Battle. They each have their monologue while the other doesn't respond, they throw their most hurtful material at each other, and then patiently wait for the other to respond. It isn't the most realistic argument set-up, but it was a good way for the audience to get to know the characters properly. If you don't know what I'm talking about, either watch the film VS., or YouTube some actual Rap Battles.

The fact that the film is black and white just makes everything feel stripped back and raw. It was a really good choice for a film like this.

However, there was a lot about the film that I didn't like, or just didn't get.

For one, the age thing. There has been a lot in the media about Zendaya's age, and the age gap between her and John David Washington. What I got from these conversations is that Zendaya is an adult, playing an adult, and that's all there is to it.

But for some reason, Marie's age was such a big part of the film! Malcolm kept mentioning that Marie was 20 when this happened and 25 now, and the way her age was spoken about made me feel like the film was hitting us over the head, never letting us forget how young she was. This didn't seem relevant to me, and worked negatively compared to how the actors are speaking about the film - trying to make us forget anyone's ages. And in addition, as much as Marie's age was spoken about, there was not one mention of Malcolm's age. If there had been, I feel like the audience would have understood their dynamic a bit better. Or alternatively, no one's age could have been mentioned. But mentioning one and not the other didn't feel right to me. 

Malcolm and Marie are a couple that feel relatable, yet distant. Their arguments have substance, but we never really get them. They are guarded from the audience. We are, figuratively and literally, on the outside looking in.

The film is so dialogue-heavy that, at times, you wish they had other things to talk about. Because while they are having necessary conversations, the point of the argument frequently changes, and then suddenly the point made 30 minutes ago is back in centre stage. The arguments go from trivial, to deep-rooted, back to trivial again, and it just felt a bit weird. They were arguing about the same things over and over again. And while this could be saying something about their relationship, I found that after a while, it got a bit stale.

And because of this, it felt like the film was 3 hours long, with only about 10 minutes of actual content. It might have worked better as a short film.

But there's also the dialogue itself, which I wasn't a fan of. It all sounds very unnatural, and not like the way that actual people speak. The screenplay sounds a bit over-written, and it becomes too much when the characters actually have to say these words. In fact, the whole thing feels like a performance.

Ultimately, this is the story of an extremely toxic relationship - and at times it feels like there's nothing else to it.

Overall, the film is interesting, these characters (and their respective actors) work well together, and it's worth a first watch. However, I feel like the script could have done with a re-write, or the film could have been re-edited, as some scenes felt like they should have been in different places. It was good, but I can't imagine wanting to see it again.

5.5/10