MALCOLM & MARIE (2021): FILM REVIEW

Malcolm & Marie (MA15+)

Written and directed by Sam Levinson

Starring John David Washington and Zendaya

Duration: 106 minutes

Available now on Netflix

John David Washington is Malcolm, a filmmaker destined for critical and financial success. Zendaya is Marie, Malcolm's girlfriend and constant source of support and encouragement. The two of them return home from the premiere of Malcolm's new film, and we spend the evening with them as they await the critical responses. From the outset we see that there is tension between them, and as the evening goes on we see the cracks in their relationship opened up before us, the two of them testing the strength of their love and picking at things both new and resurfacing in their relationship.

I was excited to see this film for a few reasons - for one, it is one of the first films to be conceived, written and produced in America all throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondly, I love small, boxed in films with a small number of characters; Ex Machina, for example, is not only one of my favourite science fiction films of this century but also a brilliant three-handed drama. Malcolm & Marie falls into that category of putting a handful of characters into a small environment and letting their interactions and the transference of information play the main role in the storytelling. 

And I have to say, it does play to that style of storytelling pretty competently, bar some longueurs through the middle of the film. There is enough back and forth, enough revelations, enough moments of tenderness, enough moments of exploding anger, to keep that two-character dynamic feeling interesting and compelling. I did have the distinct feeling, though, that the film would work better in the form of a short. Some of the ebb and flow of the film started to become tedious, and a shorter runtime would definitely tighten up the storytelling and make the trajectory of the film significantly more well-defined.

 One thing the film does particularly well is to do with the direction. Sam Levinson, who has previously worked with Zendaya on HBO's Euphoria, constantly keeps things feeling exciting and fresh with the camera work, particularly some interesting shot compositions involving mirrors, that gets the most out of the decidedly un-cinematic location without drawing too much attention away from the central relationship. 

Washington and Zendaya both do a good job, although I did feel that Washington crept a little too close to overacting in some of the more intense moments of the film, leaving a taste of almost unintentional comedy in my mouth at certain points. Zendaya is great, being outwardly intimidating and spiky, but showing enough of the damaged and bruised interior of her character at the perfect moments to transform the character into something with real depth, something I never felt from Washington. 

Something the film addresses explicitly is film criticism, most notably in an over-the-top rant that Malcolm embarks on when he receives the first piece of press criticism for his film. At this point in the film I started paying sharper attention, because it is a bold choice that I was fascinated to see either fleshed out or just smeared onto the movie. And at the end of the day, I don't really know what Levinson's point is with this element of the film. Is he trying to provide the film with a safety net or insurance policy for if it is received poorly? Or is it a more childish, juvenile attempt to verbalise underdeveloped and ill-thought through opinions based on personal indignation and blind dedication to some romanticised idea of the "art" of filmmaking? I really don't know, and while in the end this felt like a core element of Malcolm's character - the wanky, pretentious film geek - it started to come across as more annoying than anything else, bleeding into the territory of Levinson having a tantrum at the audience about something that really doesn't need to be directed at us. Maybe I missed something important, but that's how I felt about it. 

Perhaps even more fascinating, though, is some of the criticism being given to Levinson at the moment about the film, regarding the casting in particular. There is an article from The Guardian, the headline of which is "How using a black actor to vent white frustrations sinks 'Malcolm & Marie'" (which you can read here), which sort of sums up the general controversy. To summarise, to a lot of people this feels a lot like exploitation, and Levinson simply using the character of Malcolm railing against the racial undertones of film criticism as a mouthpiece for himself to complain about the critical reception of his last film, Assassination Nation. And I have to say that I think I agree, in that this element of the behind-the-scenes nature of the film does retroactively inform how I was feeling while watching the film and experiencing those feelings of annoyance, alienation and frankly discomfort.

All of that said, Malcolm & Marie is a perfectly competently made film with drama, good performances, and quietly flashy filmmaking. As a piece of entertainment it works, but would be improved by some tightening up. Where it really starts to falters is in its engagement with real-world issues and its relationship between actors, director and the real world. So I'm a bit torn on it, to be honest, and while I would recommend it as a harmlessly entertaining night in front of Netflix, I can't even commit to that statement given the politics of the film. My advice would be to see it, enjoy it, and then think about it a lot afterwards, like I did. I found the conversations and ideas I had in the films wake to be endlessly more exciting, interesting and thought-provoking than the film itself. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Malcolm & Marie, whether you loved it or hated it, so drop a comment below and start the conversation. Find me on Instagram @bluerose.filmreview to stay connected and talk about all things films, I'd love to see you over there! Take care, have a good one, and happy watching.