By: Jeremiah Holloway (’22), Managing Editor
During the summer of 2020, Zendaya, John David Washington, and other crew members collaborated in secret to film Netflix’s new movie, Malcolm & Marie.
The finished product seems to be an early example of what films look like during a pandemic. Though it is not the only movie production created after the COVID-19 outbreak, it was one of the earliest to move in that direction as plans for the movie began in March, with filming taking place in July.
With that, the only people seen on screen are Zendaya and Washington. What makes the two person cast interesting is that many other characters are mentioned by Malcolm and Marie throughout the movie. During their first conversation in the movie, the camera alternates between Malcolm, played by Washington, pacing the room and Marie, played by Zendaya, smoking a cigarette as he goes on about the success of the premiere of his film.
Malcolm is ecstatic about his film release and begins to talk about the potential critics who will write a review on his film. He also talks about the lead actress in the film and the performance she put on.
Mentioning other characters gives more context to Marie’s position in the movie, as it seems Malcolm has time to focus on everyone except for her. Marie calls out Malcolm for not thanking her for inspiring his film and largely impacting its quality. Malcolm does not respond well, and resorts to verbal abuse soon after Marie expresses how she feels.
Frustration mounds from there, as the two alternate between yelling at each other to loving each other to fighting again. This cycle is repeated during the entirety of the movie, with a brief dialogue about Black filmmakers in between as Malcolm responds to a review of his film by an LA Times writer. Malcolm and Marie remain on the topic for over 10 minutes, talking about the flaws of the industry. This briefly seems to reconcile the relationship, but Marie later questions why she was not cast for the film that she largely inspired. She later proves her acting ability by pretending to threaten Malcolm with a knife and talk about her continued battle with drugs. She makes it a point that their bond over the LA Times reporter far from erased the rest of the problems from that night.
Marie continues to express how underappreciated she feels and tells Malcolm how she would prefer to be treated. She essentially tells him how to talk to her – word for word – in a way that would show that she is loved and respected. The film ends with Marie seemingly disappearing from the house the next morning, causing Malcolm to find her. Marie is in the backyard, however, and the pattern continues.
A noteworthy aspect of the movie was the choice to show the entirety of it in black and white. Given the references that are made, it clearly takes place in modern times. Going to black and white rather than color is an intriguing choice, though it may take several views to understand the purpose fully.
Another important feature to note is the use of music. Both characters turn on certain songs depending on their mood in the movie. For example, Malcolm played James Brown’s “Down and Out in New York City” when the couple first returned to the house. Later, after an intense argument, Marie played “Get Rid of Him” by Dionne Warwick and even began singing along to it. The intentionality of the song placements was an important aspect of the movie, as it furthered the emotions of the characters.
What I appreciated about the movie was the undertone of the perceptions of Black films in a Black film.
Malcolm laments the fact every movie with a Black lead is seen as “political” or is automatically “about race.” The greater message or purpose in some movies gets overlooked because the viewers are not used to majority Black casts. Surely there are moments in which societal issues are referenced or highlighted, but the greater purpose of these movies is not always about race. Of course, this assumption will always be made because God forbid that Black people can star in films because of their talent and not to tackle a social issue.
Generally speaking, Malcolm & Marie is a well-done movie, but it is hard to naturally enjoy because of the dramatic, frequent swings of love and turmoil. Still, because of the great acting, I believe it is worth the watch.
