Malcolm & Marie is, at once, both captivating and exhausting. Produced during the pandemic and filmed at a single location with only two actors, it features strong, bold performances from its leads and a gorgeous black and white cinematography by Marcell Rev, who also collaborated with director Sam Levinson on Assassination Nation and Euphoria. However, it feels like a 25 minute stretched out into a 80 minute feature film- an exercise in excess despite the film’s simple structure.
Malcolm (John David Washington) has returned home with his girlfriend, Marie (Zendaya) after the successful premiere of his new movie. He dances to James Brown, revelling in his success before launching into a tirade against film critics for reading too much into his filmmaking because he’s a Black director. Marie patiently waits for him to finish while she makes him mac and cheese, but there’s resentment festering beneath the surface. She soon brings it up after Malcolm continues to poke her: he had forgotten to thank her, which bridled her, especially because the lead character was seemingly partially based on Marie’s struggles with drug addiction. This sets off an on-again-off-again argument for the rest of the film, where both of them trade barbs with each other. Malcolm, in particular, turns especially callous, but Marie absorbs it all in silence and gives back as good as she gets.
Malcolm & Marie’s fixation on critics has soured reviewers. In particular, Malcolm rails against a specific LA Times female reviewer, which seems to be based in reality, as one LA Times reviewer gave a critical review of Levinson’s Assassination Nation a few years ago. While this was advertised as a romance film, it also feels equal parts a treatise on the art of filmmaking, contested by two dueling sides of the artist. Malcolm represents the ego that comes with creative success, while Marie represents the wounded, suffering individual who demands to be recognized as the foundation for that success.
The best thing about Malcolm & Marie is its performances. Zendaya in particular gets to show range and perseverance.
There’s a notable scene where Malcolm spitefully lists off all the women he had been with and who were part of the inspiration for his film’s lead, Imani. Zendaya absorbs all this hurt like a sponge, her face quivering and eyes closed. She doesn’t let him have the satisfaction of seeing her unravel before him. Rather, she takes a few moments to collect herself and then returns with a monologue of her own. John David Washington also gets to explore the insecurities of his character, especially when he is being insolent and rueful.
One of the biggest problems with Malcolm & Marie is that the duel between its leads never metastasizes into an argument.
Rather, it’s a series of monologues, which are fun to watch on their own but start to grate on the viewer when seen in succession.
Perhaps, the most charitable way to view Malcolm & Marie is to take it as an ambitious pandemic experiment. It’s worth a one-time watch, but be warned, it will test your patience. There are better ways to do arguments on film- for instance, the brilliant climax of Before Midnight- but Malcolm & Marie isn’t entirely without merit. Do see it if you are a fan of either Zendaya or John David Washington. Zendaya in particular has emerged as a bold, talented actress who balances her roles between mainstream and provocative projects. Let’s hope we will see her talents better utilized in future projects, such as a new season of Euphoria.