By Irene Wong, Staff Writer
The highly anticipated romantic melodrama, “Malcolm & Marie,” starring Zendaya and John David Washington, hit the small screens through Netflix on Jan. 29. Directed by “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson, the film boasts young acting heavyweights, beautiful cinematography and the credit of being one of the first pandemic-bred productions, written in just six days. Unfortunately, the latter is oh-so evident.
As the titular characters enter their lush, rented Malibu mansion following rising director Malcolm’s premiere, they recap the night’s events. Marie criticizes Malcolm for not thanking her in his speech despite being his movie’s muse, and he defends that she couldn’t take sole credit for an amalgamation of his previous partners. The conversation shifts between their personal conflict and criticisms of the entertainment industry as the couple spends the night restlessly unraveling the pile of turbulences in their relationship.
Zendaya and Washington’s performances keep the audience engaged. Zendaya characterizes vulnerability and insecurity into former actress Marie. Washington perfectly portrays a hot-headed, egotistical film snob and skillfully diverts a monologue with questionable content from going awry. And despite the controversy over the co-stars’ age gap, their chemistry proves it to not be an issue.
However, their acting can’t distract from the poor execution of the film’s vision. In an attempt to give insight into the nuances of a raw, romantic relationship, Levinson instead creates a repetitive narrative that leaves the audience in exhaustion by the first hour. Marie charges Malcolm with another accusation of manipulation, and Malcolm searches for a synonym of “crazy” that he hasn’t gaslighted his partner with already. Not to mention, the commentary on the film industry blurs the focus of the movie. Where Levinson shows his chops in creating interesting concepts and visually appealing shots, he lacks the ability to tell a compelling, clear story.
Beyond that is Levinson’s politicization of the film, which is ironic as he criticizes that exact action through Malcolm’s character. In one of the most striking scenes of “Malcolm & Marie”, the male lead delivers an impassioned speech about renowned directors’ focus on people of communities different from their own in dissent of a review on his film that deduces an unintended political statement on race, seemingly only because its director is Black.
Malcolm then continues that he believes the politicization of movies made by Black people is exhausted and should not all be considered in this light. While this could be a valid opinion, the disparity between the work Malcolm cites and “Malcolm & Marie” is the contribution of creators belonging to said communities while Levinson, the sole writer, is a white man. Not only could conveying such views through the mouth of a Black actor misinterpret Black artists’ sentiments, but removes Levinson from accountability for his personal agenda.
Following a slew of criticism after the release, Levinson defended this aspect of the movie, saying that it could be received differently, as Marie’s character is written to refute Malcolm’s beliefs. His statement remains inconsistent with his content– if Marie is supposed to present an opposing take, then why leave her silently smiling in admiration as Malcolm delivers his eight-minute monologue? It seems that Levinson lacks the courage of his convictions.