The Mosley Review: Malcolm & Marie

If there is a genre of film that is the most tension filled, authentic and raw, it is the romantic drama genre. These type of films, especially the ones focused on a couple, can be the most uncomfortable and yet therapeutic as you see people that love each other tear each other apart. I say therapeutic because of their ability to have both sides be completely open and say what they want to say without holding back. Well this film, didn't hold back not once and it was amazing and sometimes hard to watch. The 2 characters of this story are in love with each other, but there is so much toxicity within each of them, they can't possibly see themselves with anyone else. Most stories would start at the beginning of the relationship where its all puppy love and then you would dive in later, but not this story. From the first 13 minutes of the film, you are thrust into a room with a boiling tea pot and you're seeing the embodiment of the steam starting fill the room with its distinct and sharp whistle. From then on its a brilliant and brutal story that unfolds the lives of a couple you can't keep your eyes off of.

John David Washington was excellent and frustrating as Malcolm. He plays a filmmaker that is coming off a successful film premiere and like all of us, he gets an ego once we see something we create get praise. What I loved about Malcolm is that he has many speeches about the social views when it comes to black filmmakers and how their work is always shaped into some form of a commentary on systemic racism in ethnic communities. What I hate about him is that he is so up his own ass, he can't help to be so damaging to everyone closest to him and not really care. He thinks that the simplist apology can solve a problem, but to his benefit. He is so pretentious and just a real piece of garbage and yet magnetic. There is so much irony at work with his many rants when it comes to reviews or even the times he goes in on his girlfriend. John David Washington truly brought to life this character with such gusto, strength and it is a master class of a performance.

Zendaya has time and time again proven she is a force to be reckoned with and as Marie, she shows a new depth to her abilities. She is Malcolm's significant other and even though she celebrated along side Malcolm, there is something more at work as she tries to get him to see all the problems. Her story is all the more interesting and is the catalyst to Malcolm's success and she fights to remind him of that. I loved her unrelenting energy and power in every word during the many verbal fights. She is always there to cut deep and call out the moments Malcolm is being an ass. What I hated about her is that she is so content on being mean, spiteful and with a person so toxic. She couldn't let anything go and she never left that place between despair and serenity and it was heartbreaking to watch. She had the more valid points in the multiple arguments no matter how raw she gets in the truth she speaks. Zendaya was equally and sometimes more powerful than Washington and my favorite moment is the scene about authenticity. The entire film shows her range as a performer, but that one scene sticks out the most to me as a turning point.

Both characters are so terrible to each other and yet there is such an energy that can't separate them. Their story is a true look into a toxic relationship that is on the the line between love and hate and they really don't deserve each other. This definitely not a film to watch with your significant other. The score by Labrinth was great, but the soundtrack is where it’s at. From James Brown to Sam Gendel and Sam Wikes to Outkast, the soundtrack is a beast and sometimes acts as a transition between scenes, moods and topics as the film comes to a interesting conclusion. Writer and Director Sam Levinson has made a film that is both preachy, commentative, brutal and a spiral of constant hate. I enjoyed the both performances of the leads and if there was a film that definitely shows a version of what couples were like in 2020, then this is it. The Netflix Original is currently streaming. Let me know in the comments below what you thought of the film or this review. Thanks for reading!