The Trials and Tribulations of an Imperfect Relationship: A Film Review of Malcolm and Marie
By Aliva Panigrahi
Image Credit: Netflix
I think it’s safe to say that any film opening with Zendaya lighting a Marlboro with a candle lighter while her on-screen partner John David Washington rants to James Brown’s Down and Out in New York City can be described in a simple gen-z phrase: “the vibes are immaculate.” Sam Levinson’s Malcolm & Marie hits the mark on the definition of a volatile relationship even though it sometimes employs overly dramatic, unrealistic dialogue (but hey, that’s kinda expected in a black and white art film literally shot on 35 mm film). It brings us one night of Malcolm who fails to recognize his use of his partner for creative fuel and Marie who channels her anger into his lack of appreciation for her. It shows us the absolute explosion of tantrums that comes from a very imperfectly paired (literally like wine and let’s say blue cheese) couple who know each other way too well albeit while not listening to one another at all.
Malcolm & Marie does an incredible job of wooing us with a beautiful aesthetic and pure talent, while highlighting very human tendencies that we all don’t want to admit we have. Zendaya and Washington demonstrate our very innate ability to hurt those who we love most with the most personal and unforgivable jabs. Like I said before, it’s a reminder of a very real yet absolutely volatile relationship with mac & cheese and screaming fights one second, pure love the next, followed by silence and smooth jazz, which is then interrupted with yet another horrendous and sometimes comical exchange of words. In a way it forces us to look back at our own relationships and examine the importance of small gestures like a simple thank you or apology. But it also portrays our brutal inability to both provide and convey constructive criticism and know when to stop.
Image Credit: Netflix
In a way, Malcolm & Marie is the depiction of a relationship we all want to be in and one we would absolutely never dream of being in given its occasionally wholesome and sweet but also predictable, charged, and downright harmful nature.
I think with our era of Twitter and TikTok netizens, this will be an immediate talking point for what is considered to be a toxic relationship. However, I think it’s important to note that in the end this film is merely a glimpse, one night, into these well… fictional characters’ lives. Their huge personalities make it easy to want to immediately label this as toxic and for all I know, it very well could be. But to an extent it does remind me of a very real, maybe worn out marriage. It’s a brutal reminder that disagreements that go way… way too far are not a nice part of any relationship, but they do happen. It doesn’t make it okay and it’s downright unacceptable, but it is a very real interpretation to an extent, one that we’re not used to seeing on screen. Whether many of us young people can relate to it or not, it is a very authentic scope.
As for the actual film itself, it was definitely tiresome at times and a bit too predictable. I can’t say it’s necessarily easy or even entertaining to watch a couple fight over the same thing for over an hour. Sometimes it was even unnerving. But reflecting back on it, I assume that it was Levinson’s goal to absolutely horrify us with this catastrophic trainwreck of a relationship. Zendaya and Washington however, have both done an incredible justice to the roles, and so I’d say that any shortcomings of the film really lie in the relatively redundant script. The highlights of the script really stem from the natural cynicism but in the end there’s not really much of a story arch to follow, just a very angry couple having a very angry night.
One of the personal standouts of the film will have to be the incredibly vibrant soundtrack created by Labrinth who also worked with Levinson and Zendaya on Euphoria. The smooth jazz score is the perfect punctuation for quiet moments and truly sets the tone. It’s so simple yet very fitting and contrasts with the loud hits played from past decades. The film does a great job of seamlessly integrating such underrated classics into the scenes. It’s clearly a very carefully curated selection of pieces such as Liberation (Outkast, Cee-Lo Green) and Dianne Warwick’s Get Rid of Him, which do a great job in accentuating each moment and are absolutely vital to the storytelling. I highly recommend taking a listen to the album which has some absolutely nostalgic and new bangers (which are really just the *chef’s kiss* to Malcolm yelling in the kitchen while eating mac & cheese); a personal recommendation is definitely Gimme All Your Love (Alabama Shakes).
Ultimately, with Malcolm & Marie you’re signing up for a night of tantrums and tears portrayed brilliantly by the lead actors. I can’t say the behavior that they depict is in any way charming nor acceptable but it is an unfortunate reality for some. The simplest thing any of us can take away from it: just say thank you when it’s deserved, especially to the person keeping you grounded. Love can really only take a relationship so far, but respect and basic human decency can’t be dismissed. Thus this film can either serve as insight or a wake up call to the standards we should hold when it comes to how we treat our partner and vice versa, and most importantly when it’s time to recognize our faults and let go.