Rolling with the pandemic punches that necessitated the temporary shutdown of their HBO show Euphoria, Zendaya, the show’s star, suggested making a film to Sam Levinson, the show’s creator. Levinson got writing, and using the crew from Euphoria, Malcolm and Marie was shot under covid-compliant conditions during the summer of 2020.
The film begins when hot young director, Malcolm (John David Washington) and Marie (Zendaya) his partner, a former actress, return from the premiere of Malcolm’s new movie. Malcolm is giddy with the success of the night and wants to carry on the party, but he forgot to thank Marie in his pre-movie speech. Marie, who has supported Malcolm through the gestation of the film is naturally cross about this, and so begins a night of impassioned fighting between the couple that covers such diverse subjects as sex, artistic authenticity, the role of the critic, the entertainment industry and what it means to be a person of colour working in it.
Malcolm & Marie is shot in chic, high key black and white on film, like a perfume advert, and begins with a classic block of credits. These choices are striking, but they are also clichés. Starting his film in this way, Levinson is either tongue-in-cheek, or lacking in self-awareness. Once we meet Malcolm though, what is going on becomes clear. Malcolm is someone for whom an encyclopedic knowledge of cinema is a significant part of his personality. Across the film, Malcolm brings up a litany of directors from the past, with very few contemporary references, and he shows disdain for people who lack the understanding that he has. The clichéd style perfectly skewers the type of film maker that Malcolm apparently is. These style choices are exactly the kind of affectations Malcolm would be unable to resist putting into one of his own films, to ape the style of his heroes. Levinson is satirising this overly reverent form of film making. One might think that Levinson is articulating his own frustrations as a director through the angered Malcolm. However, as Malcolm builds his tower of self-importance and the arguments progress, his pretentions appear ever more ridiculous and it seems inconceivable that Levinson could align himself with the character. So, when Malcolm vents his feelings about the inadequacies of critics and their approach, rather than this being a targeted attack on critics, it really is part of a larger attempt to deflate the pomposity of filmic discourse — of both critics and professionals in the industry.
The dialogue of Malcolm & Marie feels overworked and unnatural, as though the characters have rehearsed the points their argument will cover, having prepared long, dramatic and verbose rebuttals. Through their magnetic, overwrought performances, however, John David Washington and Zendaya make it all sound believable. The chemistry between the pair is strong enough even to make their toxic relationship holding together appear conceivable, despite the animosity on show. This is a difficult movie to enjoy, though: watching the pair repeatedly point score against each other, and with little respite, the film becomes exhausting.
- Oliver Carey
