The Fairfield Mirror/ Malcolm & Marie

Claudia Rivera

Managing Editor

Cmr6395@psu.edu

A young director on the brink of success after debuting his new movie, and a struggling actress battling drug addiction, engage in a toxic night-long argument. The film’s main characters, Marie, is played by Zendaya Coleman,24, known famously for her role in Disney’s “Shake it up”, and Malcolm played by John David Washington, 36. 

Produced by Zendaya herself, the Drama’s director, Sam Levinson, is also known for directing the show ‘Euphoria’ which stars Zendaya and which has teenagers all over the world hooked. The film gives an insight to the world of relationships and gives the audience new perspectives surrounding the highs and lows of everyday love. It truly depicts the stars in a new and never before explored topic of interest. 

The opening scene showcases the couple walking into their home with contrasting vibes. Marie walks in sad, some might even say disturbed, while Malcolm has a different demeanor, he is proud as well as happy of his new movie and hopes for success.  The arguments begin when the couple discusses the film and Marie’s involvement in creating the film’s main character. Arguments continue to rise one after another as the couple discusses the industry, their highs and lows of their life as well as society.

When the movie was first released many members of the audience questioned if the film was based on true events.  Levinson said the plot of the film was inspired by real-life events and is even believed to be about the time Levinson himself forgot to thank his wife at a movie premiere. The idea of Malcolm and Marie came about after the award winning show ‘Euphoria’ shut down production due to the COVID- 19 outbreak in 2020. Levinson in turn spoke to his Emmy-winning lead star, Zendaya, about the possibility of making a film during the pandemic and portraying Marie.

The film was in production in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, Levinson told Deadline: “We knew there were certain obstacles we would have to overcome from a pure narrative perspective. It would be two actors, one house and the idea [came from] my own life.”. The movie was filmed at Feldman Architecture’s Caterpillar House in Carmel, California.

The film was released on Netflix on February 5, 2021. The film was recognized in a few theaters across the United States on January 29, 2021, before finally being acknowledged by Netflix the following month. However, according to Dateline, the film sadly made any money during its time in movie theaters.

The film is 106 minutes long and it provides an insight to love and how relationships can go from healthy to toxic in a matter of minutes. This is a great film for anyone interested in dramatic love stories and also for those who are absolutely in love with Zendaya. The film’s complex storyline and great acting skills should have received more credit than it did and is recommended for anyone interested.