Malcolm & Marie
Malcolm and Marie arrive home from Malcolm's premiere of his new movie. Malcolm feels on top of the world after a successful screening. As he pours himself a scotch with James Brown playing in the background, Marie is silent in the kitchen cooking him some mac and cheese.
Something is on Marie's mind; she is not fully there. Malcolm comes from behind to share his joy with her until he catches on that something is wrong. The source of her subdued behavior: he didn't thank her despite the fact that he told her story on the screen.
All hell breaks loose from here.
The structure of Malcolm and Marie reminds me of being in a class discussion where someone continues to use devil's advocate over and over again to see the many possibilities of the conversation. The lack of thank her leads the story into a variety of forms that surprise the audience and only increase the intensity of the relationship. When you think they've reached a stopping point it starts back up.
Writer-director Sam Levinson tells the story through black and white over a single night in one confined space. Levinson strips down everything and leaves Malcolm and Marie on their own. The film was shot in the early months of the pandemic with simplified logistics that play to its advantage to conduct a character study on this couple. The film skips the politeness straight to the realness of a relationship. It almost draws comparisons to Marriage Story through its use of confined space and claustrophobia to tell the story of a couple in crisis.
Being in a tight space with someone exposes your vulnerabilities. The other person will call you out on your mistakes and observe your weaknesses. This situation creates anxiety between the two as everything is on the table and there is nowhere to run. Unlike normal arguments, the film uses monologues instead of quick-witted back and forth. It almost feels like we are intruding on the couple as the camera looks through their windows and we witness what happens behind closed doors. Imagine seeing a couple at an award show and wondering what happens next. Who are these people when they are home? They are Malcolm and Marie. The filmmaking choices create an intimate experience between the audience and the couple and we can sense something ugly is coming this way.
Malcolm and Marie can get cringey in their monologues but there are moments of humor and pain that translate through the screen. The use of monologues gets lost in each other and creates a vacuum of emotion in the isolated home. Everything out of Malcolm's mouth is tiring; you almost cringe and wish he would shut up at times because his yelling feels suffocating. John David Washington beautifully balances the irrationality and foolishness of his character. He suffers from insecurities that are sensed through his obsession with film critics and what they think of his film. He never comes to terms with who he is and that he is acting absurdly. Malcolm is a mess, but we never get to the root of why.
Marie is the total opposite with feelings of self-loathing, but not to the point that she willingly accepts the condescending behavior Malcolm throws her way. As she walks out of the bathroom fresh-faced in a tank top and underwear she demonstrates her acceptance of her vulnerable state and shows Malcolm her true self out of the party dress and makeup. I always have a curiosity about what characters do in their time not shown on screen and Marie fits into that category. We know she isn't an actress but had aspirations; she is Malcolm's muse. There is an emptiness in her that almost makes her feel like an idea to Malcolm but she never crosses into Manic Pixie Dream Girl territory. Zendaya has confidence the moment she walks in the door to the kitchen in her metallic, risque dress. It serves as her protection as she goes up against Malcolm. It dissolves away in the bath where Malcolm throws whatever he has at her and you can see the changes in her face from confident to exposed. After this scene, she reemerges and comes to terms with her vulnerability. Marie is needy and not the most reasonable person, and Malcolm is a roadblock to her finding her way.