Review: Malcolm & Marie

 

Hey, Everybody! Today I am finally going to review the Netflix Original film Malcolm & Marie! 

The film stars Golden Globe nominee John David Washington and Emmy winner Zendaya and is written and directed by Sam Levinson. 

There are minor spoilers, so you might wanna watch the movie first before you read my review.

Filmed during the summer of 2020 during the pandemic, and the movie sure does feel like that takes place during a pandemic, and shot in Black & White, Malcolm & Marie is mind-numbingly repetitive but Washington and Zendaya's performance makes the experience bearable. Although Sam Levinson's direction is interesting to look at and the dialogue is spot on.

John David Washington plays Malcolm Elliot, an up-and-coming indie filmmaker hot off his latest film, while Zendaya plays his girlfriend, Marie, a former actress whose struggles with addiction have influenced Malcolm's film. Taking place during the evening, the story begins as the couple arrive at their Malibu home after Malcolm's big premiere. Malcolm is very happy with how his film turned out and Marie seems to be bothered about certain events and interactions that happened there. The Mac and Cheese that she cooks for him comes with a side of cold shoulder. 

After tip-toeing around the subject of their relationship, the couple begins a steady implosion rife with accusations of selfishness and a mutual cruelty they seem to use as a defense mechanism, despite their love for each other. Malcolm doesn't have a kind word to say about film critics, but his rants are captured in a manner that feels wry. As the camera falls on both Marie's reaction and Malcolm's problem with "the white lady from the LA times", allowing him to disappear in the background, becoming powerless. It's one of my favorite scenes in the entire film.

But the film's take on the relationship between creator and critic, and the frustration of being politicized, racialized, and scrutinized is it's only incisive element. Malcolm is, to certain extent, Levinson's mouthpiece, expressing frustrations with the state of cinema and a great many other things, and Levinson makes the character is questioning or poking fun at some of his statements. However, this apologetic, borderline ironic approach extends to almost every aspect of the film. Marie laments being treated like a mere extension of Malcolm, but the character as she's written, doesn't feel like she has much of an existence outside of her addiction, and the way Malcolm uses it. 

Both characters constantly announce their respective backstories, but they never behave like they have a past outside this 1hr and 40 min scene. Stylistically speaking, the film goes between a static, minimalist approach and the free-wheeling, improvised aesthetic of John Cassavettes. The film could've easily ended 40 or 60 minutes in. By the film's conclusion, it kind of runs out of steam and overstays its welcome. 

Their arguments about authenticity expose a central dramatic question that remains unanswered: if Malcolm and Marie jab at each other at their own expense, what is real about them? The characters mention their experiences and their and emotional inanequacies in words but their behavior is so rarely allowed to reveal anything about who they are underneath. 

Authenticity is an understandable artistic anxiety that underlies much of the film. Malcolm doesn't have the life experience to tell the story of an addict. The authenticity question comes up regarding Malcolm's film, but it's addressed in such linear and mechanical fashion as to be uninteresting. The question is answered rather than pondered.

There's no internal mystery for them to wrestle with, even though both Zendaya and Washington keep their characters rolling. 

So, yeah I did like Malcolm & Marie, but I wouldn't say that it's already one of my favorite films, it was just one movie to pass the time. Most scenes were great and incisive and while John David Washington and Zendaya gave great performances, the film fails to explore the nuances of their characters and become mouthpieces for statements on race, filmmaking and criticism.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to comment below your thoughts!