REVIEW: Blonde (2022)

Movie Reviews

Netflix’s Blonde has been the center of controversy ever since the announcement that this Marilyn Monroe biopic would be rated NC-17. Now, the film is here, and the truth behind the speculation is revealed. Many early reviews from mainstream and access media sites have rated Blonde low, criticizing it for being overly artsy and highly pretentious. However, that is not the case whatsoever. This is one of the most brilliantly written and well-performed biopics to be released in many years. Ana de Armas shines, bringing the classic Hollywood legend to life with an Oscar-worthy performance that defines her career. The accusations of artsiness and pretension are wholly misplaced, as the film centers around Marilyn’s penchant for madness born from her abusive childhood and the loss of several children. It was essential for the audience to see her reality through her own warped and twisted lens. The beautiful and erratic art style used in the cinematography and editing keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, deeply disturbing them and placing them in the head of the timeless blonde.

The primary criticism that can be leveled at this film is its exorbitant length. Much of it feels justified and necessary to the story, but some moments could have easily been cut from the film to reduce its near 3-hour runtime. Blonde is covering a lifetime’s worth of important events, so it’s an understandable problem, yet it still falls into the realm of rightful criticism.

Though experts may question the historical accuracy of this film, the story portrayed in Blonde is rich and compelling. It doesn’t adhere to the customary rules and structures of filmmaking, but achieves what it sets out to do brilliantly. This is the type of film that people will appreciate and enjoy, though it will not likely be heavily re-watched. At the end of the day, this is a character study more than a narrative, so understanding Marilyn’s psyche is far more important. The early controversy surrounding this film that got it into the public eye was the question of whether or not it deserved its NC-17 rating. In answer to that: perhaps. It could have just as easily been rated R, though there is substantial nudity and sexual content, which might barely justify the more severe rating. However, this content is essential to understanding Marilyn Monroe’s mental state. America’s sex idol was embroiled in sex; nothing less would be expected.

The beginning of the film is difficult to watch, especially for those who experienced abusive childhoods. Marilyn is raised by a single mother who blames her for her father’s absence. This blame and anger soon turn into madness and violent outbursts that lead to attempted murder. Already a broken and scarred child, Marilyn is forced into child services, beginning her journey to become the superstar known the world over. These early scenes of young Marilyn are visceral and extremely disturbing. However, they are essential to understanding where she comes from and where her own mental tribulations are derived. Julianne Nicholson’s performance as Marilyn’s mother is both frightening and sympathetic. You almost wish that she had the life she wished for.

The film is riddled with moments of Marilyn acting or auditioning for roles that feature Ana acting like she’s acting in so many subtle and brilliant ways. These are the moments when she displays the truest and purest form of her talent, recreating the pain of this tortured superstar. Though some of her trials are her own fault, it cannot be understated how she was unmoored in the sea of abuse and villainy that is Hollywood. Few actresses of the current year could both pull off and look the part so perfectly.

Blonde is unlikely to fare well in politically infused circles. Some may believe this is feminist propaganda – understandably so, considering how modern Hollywood operates. In contrast, others will be enraged by the film’s depiction of abortion, miscarriage, and motherhood. Blonde merely wishes to tell its story with potentially sensitive subject matter without the baggage of current-day political influence.

The woke left of Twitter, in particular, may severely dislike the depiction of abortion throughout this film. While Marilyn is young, she’s overjoyed to discover that she’s with child, though the joy does not last. As a result of tragedy and abandonment, she decides to have an abortion but changes her mind too late. This moment truly instigates the beginning of her descent into madness. When she’s next pregnant much later, she has visions of the child begging for her life, begging her mother not to do to her what she did to her first baby. Once again, tragedy strikes, and Marilyn miscarries. This second lost child is what sends her over the edge into drug and alcohol abuse. Her issues only get worse as the years progress after that. Everything comes to a head when she’s once again pregnant, most likely with the president’s child. During this time, she cannot tell fiction from reality and knows not why or how she lost this child, but it is likely due to her still rampant drug and alcohol abuse. This third and final child’s loss is what leads to her death.

Twitter will doubtless hate her desire for motherhood and the impact an abortion had upon her life and psyche. Blonde is not weaponizing this history to be some sort of pro-life message. It is instead merely trying to tell the story and the pain that this legend endured.

Blonde is not an easy watch for those who have struggled much in their lives or those who don’t often watch overly artistic films. Despite this, it is a beautifully made, written, and performed movie that lets the audience intimately see into the mind of Marilyn Monroe. The general distaste for this film by access and mainstream media, and even much of the audience, is confusing and likely misplaced. Blonde should, without question, be a shoo-in for all the major Oscar categories.