Malcolm & Marie

Starring: John David Washington, Zendaya
Directed by: Sam Levinson
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After the premiere of his film, a director (John David Washington) returns home with his girlfriend (Zendaya) who begin a brutal examination of their relationship.

Review:

Tim: I can certainly see how Sam Levinson's Malcolm & Marie is a polarizing film. I loved it and still felt much of that tension. There's an easy path to arguing this film is a complete misfire, an exercise in futility and negativity that should be avoided at all costs. I get it, because there are moments I felt like that. However, I'm still firmly on board Levinson's film. Much of it is brutal. It's a film that will try your patience and make you question the inherent goodness of people. Yet, it's more than that. It's not a movie i would be enthusiastic about watching again, but it's a dizzying look at a spiraling, toxic relationship. In the end, I thought it was an expertly crafted look at a dysfunctional relationship. I was sold.

I really appreciated how the movie was staged. It takes place mostly in one location, the director and his girlfriend's home, after their movie premiere. The film doesn't often feel claustrophobic, though. The characters move around the house and outside it. That actually helped a good deal. It's a focused film, but it never feels too self-contained. The cinematography was impressive. The shots of looking into the house from outside are effective, but the whole thing looks wonderful. It's often like you're in the middle of a two person play.

The story is absolutely frustrating. Really, the entire movie is a couple arguing for nearly two hours. This is at times fascinating, but it's so difficult to watch. To see this much raw emotion and negativity on display isn't exactly a fun experience. I get it that many people would hate the movie for this reason. There were many moments when I wanted to scream in exasperation. Levinson's film has its specific objectives, but coddling to the audience isn't one of them. The reason I was able to go with the story is because I believe this depicts what so many broken relationships are actually like. It shines a light on the specifics of toxic relationships, of people who shouldn't be together, who aren't the kind of people ready for a committed relationship. Some of the things the characters say to each other in this film are shockingly awful. Yet, there are thousands, maybe millions of people in relationships like this. It's not all out in the open like this film, but this is what dysfunctional relationships look like and I applaud the film for showing something we'd rather not see. It reminded me of the feelings I had during Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

Now, as good as Levinson's film is, none of it matters without award-worthy performances from its leads. Fortunately, that's exactly what we get with John David Washington and Zendaya. I like them both and have been following the exceptional work they've been doing in recent years. Washington was superb here. It's incredible how he is charting his own path, showing himself to be a formidable acting talent, regardless of who his father is. His ability stands on its own, and this might be the best performance of his career thus far. Washington makes us experience such a wide range of emotions. There's moments when our heart goes out to him, and there's moments when we feel like he's so despicable we can't even bear to look at him. His performance hits all these. Zendaya is a terrific partner for him, delivering a truly stunning performance. I know a lot of people complained about the age difference, but I wasn't bothered by it. That happens routinely in real life. They're both adults. Zendaya more than holds her own- as good as Washington is, Zendaya might be even stronger. Her performance is so filled with raw emotion- it feels so authentic, so stripped down to the essence of her character. I like Zendaya because of her work in the Spider-Man movies, but this performance made me appreciate her as a true acting talent. Zendaya and Washington are superb together. Their line delivery, the rapid pace of changing emotions, it all adds up to this surreal, dizzying quality to the film. Like the characters in the story, their epic fight made me want to reach for a glass of the hard stuff, anything to take the edge off what I was seeing on screen.

I will comment on one other thing- I know some people criticized Sam Levinson for being a white man telling such an emotional story about two black people, one where race is definitely a part of the story. I can't say I am nearly knowledgeable enough to weigh in on this, especially given my biased view of being white. For what it's worth, it didn't bother me. Washington and Zendaya made this movie their own. It felt like it was their story even more than Levinson's.

I certainly recognize the polarizing nature of Malcolm & Marie. It's a brutal film to watch and one I may not see again. However, it's a brilliantly executed film. It makes you feel so much for these characters. It depicts the worst kind of relationship. I thought it was an exceptional piece of filmmaking.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, BlackKklansman