Malcolm & Marie (2021) Review

This is one of the few films that managed to be filmed during the pandemic and Netflix have now released Malcolm & Marie and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a director and his girlfriend question everything when they return from the premier of his new film. 

Main Characters 

Usually I would split the acting into two categories but considering there are literally only two people in this film it seems logical to just put them both in this section. John David Washington plays Malcolm & Zendaya plays Marie and they are both fantastic here. They literally have to carry this film on their backs and they do it superbly well, they deliver monologues that just keep going and feel like they are very real to them and the story that the characters were going through. When the nominations for the Oscars come out I would be stunned if both of these two aren't nominated for two really, really strong performances that should be seen and appreciated. 

Story

The story is interesting, it basically is set in one location and sees a night in these two peoples lives and how their relationship basically unravels and come to a head. The strength is in the performances and the way that they get you to grapple onto their characters and the turmoil more then the actual strength of the plot. There are elements that work, but at times at least for me it felt like we were going in circles and were padding for time and I actually think this film could have been more effective with less if that makes sense. 

Script 

The dialogue is well written and it feels very raw and emotional, heck it makes you question if these two should even be together and which one of them is the worst. It allows both Washington & Zendaya to have effective moments and big acting scenes. But I will say this does feel a bit one dimensional, it feels like Washington will have a monologue, then Zendaya will and then rinse and repeat with very little in breaking up the structure.

Style 

The film is presented in Black & White and I am not exactly sure the reason for this but it was effective to say the least, it just made the film stand out and feel a bit more unique. But this film was too long for me, as I mentioned above I think this film would have been way more effective if it was at least 15mins shorter and really had no filler and hit the queues that it needed. 

Overall

Overall, this is a good movie that is really well acted. I will say that this is a film that will divide opinion but I think if you want to see a film with really strong acting and intensity then Malcolm and Marie is a decent shout. 

Rating - 7/10