Netflix's Malcolm & Marie has been in the news on and off since it became one of the first movies to film early in the pandemic. Thankfully, unlike other projects made in the time of coronavirus, such as Locked Down and Songbird, Malcolm & Marie’s story has nothing to do with the ongoing global catastrophe. If anything, the two-hander’s a riff on Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, a relationship drama set over a single night in which Malcolm (John David Washington) and Marie (Zendaya) trade shockingly hurtful barbs and speechify at one another while stalking around a strikingly sleek house. While the movie, which was filmed in rich black and white, looks gorgeous and features bravura performances from its leads, it can be tough to watch. Still, the scenario it explores is engrossing enough to keep things interesting.

The film begins with the longtime title couple returning home following the premiere of Malcolm’s latest directorial effort. While this isn’t the first movie Malcolm’s directed, it seems like it will be the one that puts him in the big leagues alongside the likes of Spike Lee and Barry Jenkins, and Malcolm’s on a high from the evening (even as he takes issue with people’s narrow-minded tendency to only compare him to other Black directors). Yet, when Malcolm tries to continue the good time as Marie makes him mac 'n' cheese, he notices she's not in the same headspace he is. While Marie tries to put him off, Malcolm insists she tell him what's wrong, so she admits that she's upset that he failed to thank her at the premiere. The problem goes deeper than that, though. Marie believes that the movie Malcolm has made is based on her personal experience getting clean at 20, and in her mind, Malcolm’s ability to make a movie about her life and then forget to thank her is symbolic of their relationship.

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The rest of Malcolm & Marie consists of heated exchanges between the couple. Malcolm repeatedly calls Marie crazy and selfish. Marie calls Malcolm mediocre and emotionally obtuse. They alternate between arguing, almost making up and then arguing some more, with a break in the middle to check out the review of Malcolm’s movie by a much-derided white woman critic from The Los Angeles Times, who practically becomes a third character given the amount of time Malcolm spends excoriating her. Meanwhile, the film touches on authenticity and intention in filmmaking, what a couple owe one another and the way people see each other.

The film is an acting showcase for both Zendaya and Washington, whose contrasting styles balance well with one another. Washington is fiercely physical and emphatically verbal, while Zendaya is controlled and thoughtful with a face so expressive she conveys just as much with a quivering lip and a glance as she does with a rush of words. Their performances are what make Malcolm & Marie worth sticking with, although their verbal sparring may be a turn off for some viewers.

One gets the impression that although the pair insist they love each other, their volatility means they aren’t built to last, and for a great deal of the film it’s hard to tell if they even like one another. One way or another, some couples counseling is desperately needed here. The film was written and directed by Sam Levinson, who is also the creator of the Zendaya-starring HBO series Euphoria, which the actress recently won an Emmy for. It’s hard not to wonder about Levinson’s take on romance based on the way he’s written these two characters, whose anger and hurt often becomes verbally abusive. Still, it’s also easy to believe that this is a young couple who haven’t yet learned to contain their passions, positive or negative.

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What’s more head-scratching is the long swathes of dialogue Levinson, who’s white, has written about the Black experience and ignorant white people, something Levinson wouldn’t have any personal experience with. Although, based on another argument Levinson makes through Washington's character -- that the identity of a filmmaker shouldn’t impact the meaning critics’ take from their films -- this should be a moot point. Nonetheless, it’s strange to hear Washington angrily call out Karens knowing Levinson wrote the words he's saying. And it's equally strange to hear him ridicule the male gaze when the actor spends most of the movie fully clothed while Zendaya is scantily clad throughout.

I suspect viewers’ reactions to Malcolm & Marie will vary greatly based on their own opinions and experiences of art and relationships, with some finding it highly relatable and others quickly becoming irritated by the tempestuous couple and the overblown monologuing. I found the experience of watching the movie much like the characters’ fight, by turns frustrating, heartbreaking, exhausting, annoying and tentatively hopeful. Yet, even in its most challenging moments, Malcolm & Marie is a pleasure to look at and Zendaya and Washington’s performances are fascinating to watch.

John David Washington and Zendaya in Malcolm & Marie (2021)
Malcolm & Marie
R
Drama
Romance
8
10

A director and his girlfriend's relationship is tested after they return home from his movie premiere and face each other's turmoil during one long night.

Release Date
February 5, 2021
Director
Sam Levinson
Cast
John David Washington , Zendaya
Runtime
1 hour 46 minutes
Writers
Sam Levinson
Production Company
Little Lamb, The Reasonable Bunch

Malcolm & Marie, written and directed by Sam Levinson and starring Zendaya and John David Washington, premieres on Netflix on Friday, Feb. 5.

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