Marriage story was a movie that I was unsure about at first, but as the release date on Netflix got closer and more hype surrounded the movie my expectations grew. I have to say that Netflix has really outdone themselves with this movie.
The culmination of emotion, comedy, and just sure empathy in this film makes it an utter powerhouse. The movie evolves along with the characters and Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver really bring that home with their performances.
Nicole and Charlie have this complex set of events that are so real and show us how such a small decision can really spiral something out of control. There are so many messages in this movie about love, partnership, and communication that can help a lot of people by showing them how a once great relationship can fall apart.
Noah Baumbach does a tremendous job of using empathy with each character. You never feel completely on one side or the other because there are so many emotions that aren’t communicated between Nicole and Charlie that make you understand where each of them is coming from.
Each little detail put into this movie is there to make you feel what Nicole and Charlie are feeling and is done with such grace and care that you can’t help but feel extremely connected to them throughout the film.
The main argument scene is absolutely heartbreaking, and I realized it was there because so much tension had built up between the two at this point that they just exploded. So many relationship movies are flooded with argument scenes, but this scene’s really the only one in the movie, and every other time they’re together is pleasant interactions. I feel that’s what made the scene so impactful, because they were able to show how torn apart these two were by the divorce and that their once beautiful relationship is now in pieces. This scene was so intense and had some extremely harsh words, but you feel as though it’s necessary for them to air their dirty laundry and just let it all out.
Nothing extremely “exciting” or “eventful” happens throughout the film and doesn’t need it because the movie has such an intimate story that keeps you invested the whole time. I think that’s one of the best ways to describe this movie is intimate.
You never lose sight of the main message, story, or characters, and you feel so close to them the whole time. It’s basically a portrait of a marriage that was great and because of so many things that built up and weren’t talked about they both started to slowly distance from each other, and you feel that.
That was something Baumbach did so well was being able to show the distance, but yet make them still feel so close. That can also be credited to amazing performances that never let up.
Marriage Story is a movie that really exceeded my expectations. We feel these massive waves of emotion that make us see fragments of ourselves in each of the characters. You can feel every inch of this movie and is one that I will remember for a long time.
I give Marriage Story an A+
