Cupid’s Whodunit

In many circles, saying a film felt like a play is not exactly a compliment. But count me out of those cliques if it means the likes of Metropolitan and Six Degrees of Separation aren’t allowed entry. Sam Levinson’s new film Malcolm & Marie, starring John David Washington and Zendaya, also feels like it should’ve come attached with a Playbill instead of summoned on Netflix.

There are exactly two characters in this film — you guessed it — Malcolm, a filmmaker finally getting his first big break, and Marie, his younger girlfriend who helped inspire that story. And exactly one location; the entire 1hr and 46min is spent in and around the posh contemporary home in which Malcolm’s producers put them up. Said to be in Malibu, the real hillside residence, Caterpillar House, is about 5 hours due north in Carmel-by-the Sea.

After Malcolm’s big film premiere, the couple are back at the house in need of macaroni and cheese, and a much needed debrief. Malcolm’s sin is obvious enough. For some reason, he forgot to thank Marie when he gave his grand ole speech, and she is pissed about it. A contentious 13 minute cold open before the title card, a Lexington and Concord of sorts, gives a preview of the much longer Revolutionary War to come.

Like many guys, Malcolm’s first plan of attack is to downplay his transgression and immediately get physically affectionate, eager to punctuate his magical Hollywood night with a happy ending. But he soon realizes this isn’t something easily solved with simple kisses and platitudes.

Some of the dialogue is absolutely great: "If you're going to treat me like an insane person and call me crazy, the least you could do is do it without casually eating macaroni and cheese,” so volleys Marie.

In a way, Malcolm & Marie plays like a romantic whodunit, complete with the noir-style black and white. The film’s titular characters argue, catch their breath, before coming back to argue some more. Each argument aims to excavate a deeper truth about the couple’s relationship and the source of their woes, until one final confrontation lays everything bare.

True of any argument, especially those between the sexes, it does not always feel like progress is happening. Add to it, just when you think the latest movement is finally done, Malcolm (or Marie) returns to the site of the battle to deliver one more blow. Sometimes a scene just needs to end.

Luckily, Malcolm and Marie are pretty compelling people to get stuck in a house with during quarantine. A true auteur walking in the footsteps of Spike Lee and Barry Jenkins, Malcolm’s wild rants about being a Black creative and the burden of representation were strong. Back in my day, Spike and Robert Townsend and the characters they brought to life, set the standard for what it meant to be a quirky Black male artist.

Then there was a lull.

In more recent times, Chris Rock in Top Five and I Think I Love My Wife, Donald Glover in Atlanta, and Kenya Barris in BlackAF have brought these kinds of characters back to the big and small screens. Malcolm has similar neurotic tendencies, some of which are products of racism, but many others are just him being a weird artist. Thankfully, like stories of the past, Malcolm & Marie is also able to depict this fuller truth.

Marie, in many ways, is the more mellow of the two. When Malcolm blows off steam, he cranks the entire home sound system up to bump 70s soul. Marie’s music comes from her modest Iphone speakers.

Zendaya’s performance is memorable, both when she is quietly reacting to Malcolm’s antics, but also when she is actively pushing back against them. In a highlight scene where Malcolm’s film gets its first review, she responds to his epic screed with a mix of annoyance, awe, and even genuine amusement.

But more than just a muse, Marie is an artist in her own right, and as the movie marches towards a conclusion, it becomes clear that this isn’t just an argument between two lovers but also of two creatives struggling to rise together.

Set in one location, Malcolm & Marie can only work if we believe these characters and what they reference has life outside the house. Luckily, in addition to Levinson’s dialogue standing tall, the backstory he’s concocted is also convincing. Without ever seeing a snippet of Malcolm’s movie, I believe that Shakespearian tragedy of a film exists.

As a mild mannered reporter, I don’t think I’ve ever been in a night-long quarrel with a partner. A friend I happened to be watching the movie with has and really resonated with the film. When she didn’t believe me, we went back and forth for a bit, and I felt something similar brewing. Then caught myself and smiled — lest I replay the plot of the new Netflix offering myself.

***.5 outta *****

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