Blonde (2022)

Blonde (2022) is a fictionalized biopic of American cultural icon Marilyn Monroe, played by Cuban actor Ana de Armas.

Based on a novel of the same name, the movie - which was surrounded with tremendous hype since its announcement - lives in a permanent state of horror, like taking us into a nightmare that we just can't wake up from.

In fact, after watching it, it's no wonder to me that the film received an array of bad reviews, with viral posts even suggesting that many viewers across the globe had given up watching after the first twenty minutes.

Before the movie came out, people were very curious to see it, after all, its subject is one of the biggest stars of our time.

With de Armas being cast in the role, it drew even more attention, particularly from viewers like me who were keen to see how she would handle a role of such magnitude.

Given that she had led a career in Hollywood somewhat sheltered from leading roles, to me, she had yet to prove herself and this was certainly her biggest opportunity to do so.

So she did!

Despite the movie's polarizing reviews, one thing seemed to draw universal consensus: Ana de Armas delivered a magnetic performance.

The Cuban actor definitely looked the part!

With make-up, hair, costume design on point and, more importantly, the acting, it really felt like Marilyn Monroe was alive on our screens. Even the accent, which was a point of concern for many, didn't deter the audience from enjoying her performance.

That said, despite being able to acknowledge de Armas' valiant efforts, I came out feeling like I had only seen a one dimensional presentation. 

 

Don't get me wrong, this observation has more to do with how the character was laid out in the script, rather than her ability - for which she deserves plenty of praise - but I wish I had seen more of this character.

See... Monroe's life, as tragic as it may have been, seemed to be escalated to higher levels just for the sake of shocking the audience.

The string of horrifying sequences, the brutally invasive close-ups ("a la" Darren Aronofsky in Requiem for a Dream), the violence - both physical and psychological - was at points too much to handle, offering just one side of a very extremely complex and layered personality. 

Sure, that was the path that the director, Andrew Dominik, decided to embark on... but I found that (and more) very questionable.

Dominik certainly made some bold decisions... Some of them work, others are interesting, but for the most part they fail to deliver any meaningful direction to a story that tries too hard to deliver punches in the gut. Where it often tries to address a web of problems, such as the abuse of power and the sexual exploitation of women, it actually ends up being a part of it.

If anything, the movie seems to continue building on excesses that have no place in a cinema room, regardless if you are attempting to be a provocative art house project.

There needs to be a line drawn, particularly when exploring the life of an iconic and troubled character who isn't here to tell her side of the story. That not being the case, it truly feels like exploitive work from Dominik, who seemed to fail grasping the weight of the subject matter.

Not all was bad, as there were plenty of refreshing scenes done creatively, with a switch between aspect ratio and colour grading, often dipping into a beautiful black and white picture. Along the way there are some outstanding transitions that look astonishing on the big screen.

Add to that a beautiful, but often tense and harrowing soundtrack from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, and you end up getting some good marks to give out...

The highest naturally going to de Armas, who played a tortured soul, who's heart and mind had been plagued mostly by men who abused her throughout her life.

Monroe coveted love, appreciation and approval from these abusive figures, pointing out just how frail she was as someone who dreamt of having a male role model, clearly establishing her as someone who was broken with severe "daddy" issues.

While I understand that this, and other painfully intimate details, are a quintessential part of Monroe's life, it all felt very gratuitous at points - including the various nude scenes - during the exceedingly long run-time of 2h46m - that at a certain point had me doubting its artistic value.

In a nutshell, Marilyn Monroe didn't get the movie she well deserved. Instead, she got a horror show that depicted her as an inanimate object living in a man's world, stripped of any shed of humanity and dignity.