Bleak biopic with top-notch acting Starring: Ana de Armas, Adrian Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Evan Williams and Xavier Samuel Rating: 4/...
Bleak biopic with top-notch acting
Starring: Ana de Armas, Adrian Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Evan Williams and Xavier Samuel
Rating: 4/5*
Blonde is a bleak and depressing fictionalized
account of Marilyn Monroe’s life and ends up being more believable than most
biopics coming out today.
Andrew Dominik writes and directs the film
masterfully and flawlessly, and unlike other filmmakers who direct biopics,
forces the viewer to look at the harsh and cruel life of Marilyn Monroe. He
shows deeply disturbing visuals unflinchingly and at the other end of the
spectrum, shows deeply emotional visuals that will definitely make the viewer
shed a tear. Shot gorgeously by Chayse Irvin alternating between crisp black
and white and colour and aspect ratio, the black and white cinematography
provides the film with an even bleaker look, making the film all the harder to
sit through comfortably.
Ana de Armas flawlessly plays Marilyn
Monroe in an almost believable performance. Adrian Brody is excellent – as
usual – as Arthur Miller. Bobby Cannavale is also excellent as Joe DiMaggio.
Evan Williams and Xavier Samuel are great as Eddy Robinson Jr. and Cass Chaplin
respectively.
The score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is
excellent. Much like Spencer, this biopic focuses more on the emotional state
of the person rather than the facts. Blonde is an extremely polarizing film
that says a lot about the viewer depending on whether he or she likes or
dislikes the film.
There’s a scene where Ana de Armas looks
into the camera and says, “What business of yours is my life?” which critiques
the engagement of the media in a celebrity’s life.
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