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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
This is not a film about love. Rather, this is a film about many of the severe damages that can result from the deepest forms of love. From what I’ve seen in Sam Levinson’s work on Assassination Nation and HBO’s Euphoria, his writing and directing only becomes more and more human in his approach to relationships. Much like Part I of the Euphoria holiday special from last month, Malcolm & Marie strips itself of any major plot structuring and action. Instead, the film digs even lower beneath the surface through its use of dialogue.
The one irony present here is the fact that I am writing a review about the lives of two characters. Well, that is partially the plot of the film. A writer-director (John David Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya) arrive home to await a critical review of his film, Imani. One thing leads to another, resulting in not a fight between romantic partners, but rather “an observation.” At least, that’s what Marie calls it.
In this article, I will reveal some minor spoilers, but the rest of the film’s details is up to whether the reader will have chosen to see it themselves.
The Dynamic
The chemistry between the two actors is explosive. Their connection seems very convincing, although secretly filming during the pandemic can show how rocky it can be sharing scenes. This is a good thing! Washington’s acting in this film is unlike his performances that I’ve seen in BlacKkKlansman and Tenet. Malcolm can come off as inconsiderate and insensitive to his partner’s feelings and how other people can engage with him. Zendaya delivers a fascinating performance in this film, but those who have seen Euphoria will be surprised once more. For instance, whenever she quivers the lower part of her physiognomy, her sadness and misery are profoundly exhibited. I find these believable. While watching, I paid no mind to the discourse on the actors’ age differences since it is irrelevant to the story.
Aside from the actors’ performances, I noticed the minutiae of Levinson’s characters. On one hand, Marie is concerned with her partner’s physical health. Such is the way she opens the door for air ventilation as she smokes a cigarette. On the other hand, Malcolm tries to get a glass of alcohol into his system at every opportunity he gets. This shows how he is coping with what’s happening during the night. While their relationship is not so toxic, it can still get nasty.
In one example, after attending a movie premiere and after-party, the first thing Marie does is rush to the bathroom to sit on the toilet. Then, she cooks Malcolm a bowl of macaroni and cheese — late dinner, or a late-night snack. The nasty part about this is when he grabs her from behind and literally bites on (and kisses) her buttocks. All this occurs within the first ten-or-so minutes, setting up the tone of the film. I’m referring to the basic human feeling and reactions resulting from watching the two reach into one another’s souls for nearly an hour and forty-six minutes. What the viewers see is not clean. It is as raw as it can get.
Cinematography and Soundtrack
If you have seen Levinson’s aforementioned projects (i.e. Assassination Nation and Euphoria), you can already predict the successes in the cinematographic and musical scoring aspects of this film. Marcell Rév’s camera work is a worthwhile sight, from achieving a small one-take dialogue in the beginning and providing glimpses at the interior and exterior of the characters’ home.
Labrinth scores Malcolm & Marie‘s soundtrack, but Levinson’s script also calls for tracks the writer-director has picked out. The film introduces itself with a song by James Brown, has a body consisting of songs by Little Simz & Cleo Sol, William Bell, Dionne Warwick, and more, then ends with a lovely track by Outkast. The filmmaker always knows the right music to insert to get us in the mood as the scenes play out.
Themes
As the film’s trailer suggests, the movie is not about love, which is true. Aside from that, it is also not about the Black experience. From the start, Malcolm speaks of his own film, “[I]t’s not a film about race. It’s about shame, it’s about guilt, and how that shit is inescapable.” Like some films before it, Malcolm & Marie is about the human experience that just so happens to center on Black individuals.
Malcolm & Marie captures multiple moments during one night in the lives of these two individuals. Watching this film reminded me of Raymond Carver’s short story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” and even a bit of James Joyce’s “The Dead.” Because of the “observations” that the characters make of each other, it’s safe to say that Levinson is aiming to examine love via psychoanalysis. The film also explores the political elements of cinema, that is, whether or not it should be deemed a necessary one. When Malcolm speaks about “the mystery of art, of film,” that is Levinson speaking to the audience through his script. The characters discuss the authenticity found within filmmaking, which Levinson has spoken out about before in a mid-2019 interview.
What I find remarkable about Levinson’s writing is his ability to break down the conversation. I find this more polished than the episode of Euphoria mentioned at the beginning of this article. The two eponymous characters begin to engage in a heated debate, then it cools down. Then it takes just one of them to poke at the atmosphere for everything to break back into shambles. Levinson chooses this night setting to put the characters under the limelight, already having developed them both.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Malcolm & Marie is a strong contender for the upcoming awards season, from Levinson’s writing and directing to terrific performances by both Zendaya and John David Washington. I loved this film so much that I attempted to see it a second time before the screener was somehow pulled halfway through the viewing. Levinson continues to shine in his craft by making a supposedly simple story so complex. In this film’s study of “love,” I can tell he is leading us to all the right points. Once again, he shows audiences that these are humanistic stories that are being told and do not necessarily have to politicize race.
We have a while before the second season of Euphoria (featuring the appearance of Kelvin Harrison Jr.) releases. Malcolm & Marie is in select theaters this month, and will release on Netflix on February 5th, 2021!
Are you excited to see this film? Let us know! For more Netflix and drama-related news and reviews, follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_).
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
