Malcolm and Marie is a film that captures the time, with a pandemic confining us all to our homes. Sam Levinson tells the story of filmmaker Malcolm (John David Washington) and actress Marie (Zendaya), returning home from Malcolm’s premiere of his latest film. Levinson portrays a couple in the confines of the domestic sphere — a place we have been all too familiar with recently.
The film is claustrophobic and intense; it is deeply immersive and we are uncomfortably pulled into the narrative, telling the story of a relentlessly brutal argument leaving both characters, and its audience, emotionally exhausted. This is frustrating as the couple seem to go around in circles, aimlessly talking and shouting at one another; it feels endless and repetitive. We are constantly forced to watch the point of the argument be ignored by Malcolm, with his ego taking centre stage as he obsesses over his film’s reviews.
It is hard to ignore Levinson’s own voice coming through in Malcolm’s opinionated outbursts as he passionately expresses his problems with the film industry and how films are critiqued. Malcolm says, “cinema doesn’t need to have a f**king message, it needs to have a heart, electricity…” This rang true within Malcolm and Marie. The film doesn’t need to be political, it doesn’t need to have some deep meaning that changes the audience’s lives, something can just be what it is. To me, that is beautiful. It is being witness to the raw intimacy that exists within domestic spaces. This is something we rarely get to see outside of our own lives. The film keeps us with one of the characters at all times, it follows them so closely it becomes intrusive. The atmosphere is constantly uncomfortable. We should not be witness to these deeply private moments but it is impossible to turn away.
In spite of these uncomfortable moments, the film is profoundly captivating. It is shot in black and white which, in my opinion, adds depth to the story. The set is relatively bare but we forget about this as we are drawn into the couple’s relationship turmoil and the black and white effect glues us to their chaotic exchanges.
The film feels timeless. The simplistic set fuels this idea but it also allows space for the couple to take centre stage. We are focused purely on their relationship and there is nothing to distract us.
The film itself may not be perfect, there is a lot to be said about the pretentious dialogue between the pair and Malcolm’s meltdowns about the film industry that seem forced, but its cinematography is flawless. As a visual, the film is immaculate but the meaning of the argument often gets lost in Levinson’s use of overly ambitious language that removes an element of realism and seems unnecessary.
Still, Levinson’s characters are portrayed perfectly by Washington and Zendaya. You can feel the pain they reveal in their expressions when their argument becomes brutally toxic, it is so emotionally raw, their chemistry is remarkable.
Overall, Malcolm and Marie reveal the dark and destructive nature of domestic relationships. Levinson’s couple are frustratingly insufferable in their inability to communicate and successfully resolve their problems but the film remains beautiful to watch nevertheless.
3 stars
Image Credit: The MovieDB