Ok, I made a choice this weekend to avoid cancer (as in Our Friend) and instead chose a Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf one percenter first world problems debate in Malcom and Marie. Why you ask? Sam Levinson, who produced Pieces of a Woman, wrote and directed Malcolm & Marie, that’s why.
And I both relished and cringed at his evening long battle royale between a gorgeous couple: John David Washington (Black Klansman) and Zendaya (Spiderman and Euphoria neither of which I was hip to). The film’s second saving grace, after watching gorgeous people get figuratively ugly, was the fetching black and white (Kodak, yeah Rochester) film. Like Mank, the black and white choice leads to a more intimate experience with characters, there’s not the distraction of ‘impediment’ of color.
As realistic as the debate was (a woman scorned is never good optics for a man and also never a dignified look for the victim either) it’s basically a lose-lose situation. Yet try as they might this very equal and eloquent couple battles back in forth in one of those fights that we’ve all had…one that ebbs and flows and just when you think a resolution has occurred, up comes more grievances and resentments.
One scene that bothered me was the parallel brushing of teeth…I’m not an oral hygiene watching fan, hence think that was wasted time. Beyond that the movie was worth watching on the big screen at CineBistro. I highly doubt I would have hung in there simply watching on my Netflix big screen. Thanks Jack!
