A talkathon on relationships
Malcolm & Marie
Netflix
*ing: Zendaya, John David Washington
Rated: 5/10
Malcolm & Marie reminds one of a movie that’s closer to home. Many would remember the 1964 movie and Anil in Yaadein played by Sunil Dutt. Yaadein, a black and white film is all about a man who reminiscences his indiscretions when, one day he comes home to find that his wife and son are not there. This movie only had Sunil Dutt with a silhouette of Nargis at the end.
Malcolm & Marie may not be about a lone man but it is about relationships, a movie that spends 106 minutes of running time in trying to get it’s lead — Malcolm played by Washington — to apologise to his partner, a woman he loves, for not thanking her for her contribution in his life at his debut movie as a director.
The entire movie is strangely cathartic and yet exhaustive as the only two people here go back and forth talking about their relationship, art, politics and how White people see a coloured person and sees everything with a tainted vision and turning it into a racist or political issue. It is taxing to see these characters go back and forth with highs and lows on a repeat like q broken record.
Still the acting by Washington is brilliant. His almost 10 minute tirade of what he thought of the review by a White lady of Imani, a coloured person who struggles with addiction, is an absolute joy to watch even though the four letter word finds its way at 50 times if not more. In fact, that is the high point of Malcolm & Marie; this and the climax.
Zendaya, the only other character her plays her part rather well and matches Washington to bring out Marie’s need to be thanked for her role.
Watch this for its roller coaster emotions that has well-fleshed out characters.
It is very confusing
bliss
Amazon Prime Video
*ing: Salma Hayek, Owen Wilson
Rated: 4/10
Here is another movie that not only exhausts one, in trying to decipher what is happening, it is confusing since one tries to discern between reality and fiction. While some may find the narrative of this film easy enough to follow from the word go, others, who hate loose ends will want to know the answers to questions that remain unanswered.
One would have thought that a movie starring Salma Hayek and Owen Wilson would be far more entertaining and fun to watch but Bliss, unlike it’s title is anything but that.
Interestingly, despite the major drawback of this movie, it manages to capture one’s attention and hold it all through the 103 minutes. There is something that captures imagination. Curiosity killed the cat and the need to see how things end keeps one glued.
Allow yourself to be drawn into the roller coaster ride that its characters go through and let the drama unfold however confused it nay leave one at the end.