Malcolm & Marie 2021

Malcolm & Marie is a film student's wet dream. This is one of the most pretentious, exhausting, narcissistic movies I have ever seen in my life.

I wish I was half the genius Sam Levinson thinks he is. Dude really thought he can get away with writing a movie about his thoughts by casing a ‘black’ actor. Genius decision! And since he is writing about himself, Malcolm & Marie is just about a obnoxious filmmaker that is too good for his girlfriend. Levinson is a guy who hates women and has been on Twitter enough to figured out that he can add ‘white’ in front of women and be able to express that hate without seeming misogynistic. That’s the rule created by ‘woke’ Twitter. :weary:

The movie is horribly overacted. The two actors don't have chemistry at all. The guy from Tenet is definitely better in this one but still I couldn't stop wondering why is he in the film business - because of his mama or papa? As for Zendaya - she is such a beautiful woman but I don't think she was ready for this role. She is great at playing teens but not good enough to seem genuine about mature subject matter.

The plot is just so boring. Without watching the whole movie (there is no way in hell I can finish this 106 mins commercial for the latest high-end fragrance), I’m sure all that happens is that Malcolm drinks, yells and swears in Marie's face and keep repeating that he is ‘black. That is the film. And the dialog is just terrible, they literally say “fuck” so many times just to spice it up I guess.

Anyone who likes this needs therapy, please seek help immediately. :exclamation:

Like, I understand people are angry that Sam Levinson’s ego is so fragile but isn’t every artist’s?

I don’t know where I stand in the identity politics discussion and Levinson projecting his own insecurities about writing for Black characters onto this film. I don’t know if I even need to form an opinion on that issue, or can just accept it doesn’t really have an answer.

All I really do know is that this film, and Zendaya particularly, made me feel everything. And as much as I like formulating an educated opinion, I can’t help but feel frustrated that time and time again people who just seem to hate everything that is popular out of spite ruin those experiences for me. I understand the issues people have raised against this film, it’s normal to instantly feel defensive when a piece is this critical over critic itself. I also know I am only now taking my baby steps in film studies, but if I don’t trust the very initial feeling a movie awakens in me on the first watch, then what exactly can I trust to form my opinions? Everyone else’s opinions?

Malcolm & Marie is an incessant fencing match between two incredible actors, with tantalising chemistry, with blocks of monologues that almost seem written for the theatre, but were uniquely elevated by the cinematic medium’s particularities. Take away everything you know about the director, look at the film just for itself, and if you still hate it, that’s fine, but I thought it was brilliant, and I hadn’t been as moved by a performance as I was by Zendaya in this for some time.


P.S.: honestly the only criticism i legitimately will not accept about this movie is how toxic the relationship is and how annoying the characters are... why do you want to see stories about happy relationships and stable people? isn’t the whole point of writing a story that there has to be a dramatic premise to drive it? what’s dramatic about two people who never argue and are happily together?