Review of Malcolm & Marie (2021) by Megomike — 14 Feb 2021

Every couple argues, but not like Malcolm and Marie. In truth, all couples fight exactly as they do, with most of the brutality, but little of the honesty. Malcolm and Marie explores how many layers of pain and anger must be peeled away in order for two human beings to achieve empathy and understanding.

A small careless act ignites a nightlong battle between two lovers, the battlefield being each other’s ego, self-worth, and shame. In short, Malcolm and Marie is 106 straight minutes of verbal revenge sex.

Malcolm and Marie is written and directed by Sam Levinson (Euphoria, son of Oscar Winner Barry Levinson). It stars John David Washington (Tenet, BlacKkKlansman) as Malcolm, a hollywood director, and Zendaya (Spider-Man, Greatest Showman) as Marie, the muse for his most recent movie.

The couple returns home from the premiere of Malcolm’s movie, where he has received acclaim from his peers, to await the returns from the critics. While receiving his accolades earlier that evening, Malcolm neglects to acknowledge Marie in his appreciation speech.

The fight begins as a question, a simple one, from Marie to Malcolm, about the lapse in judgement. The question is in fact a wound, coming from a place so deep it requires an evening of angry introspection on both parts in order to arrive.

The map to Marie’s wound winds through miles of self-doubt and disappointment, with numerous detours through Malcolm’s sanctimonious musings and emotional ignorance. This film is a vignette of a relationship’s path to understanding, but with violent words and harsh truths many of us keep inside.

After each round either Malcolm or Marie wins the smaller battle, only for the other to retreat into a corner, in order to regroup for the next volley. The deeper each goes into harming the other, more intentionally with each pass, the more difficult it is for the viewer to hear their venom, as we recognize our most carnal feelings of derision toward partners past and present.

But the road is treacherous and long, and Malcolm and Marie ultimately requires the audience to decide whether the brutal honesty of battle, rather than contrived kindness, is the more effective route.

I give Malcolm and Marie 4.5 out of 5 stars, and recommend it for anyone that has ever been in a difficult relationship. This is a difficult love story to watch, but an authentic one, and the passion of their disappointment and anger translates to passionate emotional and physical love.

You will want this relationship to both fail, and last forever, at many points. While the film itself may not stand up to all of the heavy hitters in the Best Picture category, the performances of both John David Washington and Zendaya are good enough not only to be nominated but to win Oscars.

They deftly bring the watcher through the battle that may not end the way you want, but does end the way it should: with another day.