Movie Plot – Malcolm & Marie: The relationship of a director and his girlfriend is put to the test after returning from the premiere of his film and awaiting the critics’ reactions.

Director: Sam Levinson
Writer: Sam Levinson
Cast: John David Washington, Zendaya

Only two cast members

The world is locking down, film shoots are shutting down everywhere, and there’s a huge lock on the front door of the movie theater. Now what? Two actors in a big house, surrounded by a minimal film crew. This is Malcolm & Marie. That’s how you make use of change.

Write what you know, director Sam Levinson must have thought. Because he comes up with a story about a fellow professional: filmmaker Malcolm has just had the premiere of his new film. A very personal project, and for the first time after sitting in the director’s chair many times as a hired hand. The evening is a triumph! But while Malcolm runs around bragging about how all those silly critics can finally appreciate him, there is a lack of enthusiasm in the reaction of his young girlfriend Marie. She clearly has something on her mind.

Both of them are very emerging actors. Zendaya is undoubtedly the better known of the two as she used to be on Disney Channel. In addition, she starred in major films such as Spider-Man and The Greatest Showman. John David Washington has also played in a few well-known movies such as BlacKkKlansman and the movie that came out last year, Tenet. Since I had seen BlacKkKlansman my interest in his career had peaked because I believe this man is very skilled in acting. Malcolm & Marie proves that he’s an excellent actor and so is Zendaya. They’re both outstanding.

Malcolm & Marie

Malcolm & Marie is about two beautiful young people in a room who love each other and erupt against each other. Masks fall off, dynamics constantly change, and an inevitable question presents itself: who will win this? The choice of making this film in black and white was a good one as it makes it feel less like a stage play and more like “art.”

There are a lot of heavy conversations. As always, John David Washington is a lump of charisma and now grosses extra in showing a nastier side. In contrast, Zendaya now shows herself perhaps most as a mature character so far. Marie is the big underdog in this verbal battle, in which the self-centered Malcolm continually flies off the handle rather harshly.

Malcolm also frowns on reviewers and is rather happy to put himself on a par with some of the most important names in film history. Among them a number of filmmakers about whom we don’t talk these days enough. Honestly, I’m afraid he would be angry with me because I wrote this review. Please don’t be mad, Malcolm!

Malcolm & Marie should be watched mainly to see two beautiful people acting the lungs out of their bodies. After all, that’s the area where this film is most successful. I enjoyed the movie but also thought it was too long. However, this is also because I wouldn’t say I like arguing in real life, so I felt annoyed after some time. That doesn’t make the film terrible, but that’s how I experienced it.

Conclusion

Malcolm & Marie is a great mixture of dialogue, black & white, cinematography, and excellent acting consisting of only two actors.

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