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Marriage Story (2019)


I've liked Noah Baumbach's work since I saw his 2005 dramedy, The Squid and the Whale. His stories are suffused with heartache and complexity, but girded by a keen sense of humor. His characters are awful and beautiful and human.

Marriage Story (2019) has been garnering a lot of buzz. And it's finally available to stream on Netflix.

So I grabbed a tissue box, settled in for the night, and turned on the movie.

I. What Is It?

This is the story of Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nichole (Scarlett Johansson) and the slow-burn destruction of their marriage. It's about the ugliness we inflict on others when we are in deep pain. It's about a legal system that pours gasoline on volatile situations and allows the people involved to immolate themselves. It's about love and loss and parenthood and communication.

II. Showcase For its Leads

Scarlett Johnasson is an incredible actor. So is Adam Driver. This movie is a solid showcase for their immense talents. They have both become incredibly famous on the backs of giant Hollywood blockbuster IPs, but Marriage Story finds them showcasing their immeasurable talent for pathos and character work.

Baumbach puts them in the center of the frame, frequently, and just allows them to act. And they rise to the occasion.

Johansson's Nichole is a woman trying to find her own agency, after living a life by the whims of her partner. She strikes out in anger, with the weight of years of squashed ambition and diverted dreams.

Driver's Charlie is a quiet, loving genius, but he lives life HIS way and frequently does not make room for the desires of those around him. You get the sense that he doesn't understand how oppressive he can be.

Both of these people are to blame for the dissolution of their relationship. Both of these people are relatable. In the hands of Johansson and Driver, we get nuanced, complicated portraits of real people struggling through one of the most difficult, heart-rending processes a person can experience. Neither actor betrays their character by resorting to overtly villainous actions: you understand why they do what they do and how they've justified their own experiences.

Expect Oscar nods for both. The movie features a capable supporting cast (Ray Liotta, Alan Alda, and Laura Dern all turn in wonderful bit parts) but the film lives and dies on the backs of Johansson and Driver. And this movie soars.

III. Simply and Quietly Beautiful

This movie is beautiful in a million subtle ways.

Robbie Ryan's photography is understated, and unpretentious, but it still frames its subjects in compelling, intriguing ways. One of the things I appreciated the most was the way that Ryan and Baumbach employ unobtrusive single-take shots that track the leads, and ultimately land squarely on one of their faces. This puts the performers front and center, and allows the acting to shine. It is a clever bit of cinematography that manages to shine a light on the performers while not sacrificing its own beauty in the process.

Randy Newman's score hits all the right notes: it is playful, joyous, and heartbreaking, all in equal measure. The score supports and enhances the story just so.

The sets and spaces all look like real, lived in places and really helps establish a sense of reality.

IV. Baumbach Is a Major Talent

Noah Baumbach is a singular talent. He is one of America's finest auteur filmmakers. His gift for visual storytelling is subtle but sure-handed; his ability to draw out compelling, fascinating performances from his actors is second-to-none; his dialogue is both naturalistic and beautiful, capturing the very essences of his characters and their conflicts.

Baumbach may not have the visual flair of a Wes Anderson, and his characters may not speak with the bombast of a Quentin Tarantino, but make no mistake: he is one of the best filmmakers of his generation, and Marriage Story might be one of his most striking and effective works in a career filled with them.

Why You Should See It

- It is a lovely, heart-breaking, infuriating, life-affirming epic of a marriage coming apart. 
- It features two incredible leading actors delivering incredible performances.
- There are few movies that feel like they tell vital stories about humanity: Marriage Story tells us a vital story about the ways relationships break down and evolve.

Why You Shouldn't See It

- This movie is 136 minutes long: it is an epic portrait of a marriage's end. It is long and more than a bit grueling. It's worth it, but it is a difficult journey to take.

In Conclusion

The hype is real. Great cinema does not require CGI set pieces or bang-a-rang action sequences. Sometimes the fireworks of real human emotion are enough. Marriage Story is one of the most affectingly beautiful movies I have seen all year, and it has shot, immediately, to the top of my list for the year. Hell, for the last few years.

Miscellany

- Laura Dern based her character on a real life attorney that represented her in her own divorce. 
- Driver, Johansson and Dern were all cast before the script was finished. The three worked closely with Baumbach on the script and helped shape the choices their characters made.
- Netflix purchased and reopened a theater in New York, The Paris Theater, and exclusively showed Marriage Story there.
- Both Charlie and Nichole sing songs in this movie: both are tunes from Company. Both Baumbach and Driver are fans of the musical, and the addition of the songs was Driver's idea.
- The epic fight scene in Charlie's apartment required 50 takes. It is shot in a single take, and required a complete restart every time a mistake was made. The scene was shot over the course of two days. Rewatch that scene and cry.
- Baumbach consulted real divorce lawyers to make sure the film had an extra level of authenticity. He presented them with the script and had them shape the characters' strategies.

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