I feel like one product of the pandemic, is seeking other sources of entertainment, filling the space of when one might ordinarily go out.
I have taken to watching shows or movies in the background. That’s how I watched Malcolm & Marie last night. I had a little bit of distance from the emotional gravitas.
I thought that the main characters gave great performances. It felt very personal to be going into someone’s home to see how they celebrate/unwind/argue after a big milestone: the premier of Malcolm’s film, which may or may not have been based on Marie’s life.
I got lost in watching Malcolm pour himself a drink in a rocks glass and doing his own personal dance & in watching Marie’s seemingly mundane process of changing out of her gown. I found her to have so much natural beauty. I just paid attention to what was interesting to me - seeing the actors themselves: the aesthetics, the emotion, the energy.
I can see how it is a bit problematic that the writer/director is writing a story for 2 black characters though. The writer/director’s argument is that he gave the actors a lot of input into the script etc. I don’t necessarily think that is enough, though. I would imagine that there is a sort of power dynamic that would keep the actors from expressing certain issues with the script to the director. He could have co-written the script with an African American writer. He could have co-written it with the actors.
