I don’t remember a mainstream film being as controversial as Blonde in some time. What’s more interesting about this controversy, it seemed to have started by casting Ana de Armas in the titular role of Marilyn. And after the first screenings happened, people were split on this movie, some calling it an achievement, many more a failure and horrible exploitation of Monroe’s legacy. Blonde has been on my watch list for a while, but when (seemingly out of the blue) Ana de Armas got nominated for an Oscar, I had to sacrifice almost three hours of my time to see what that controversy was about. And let me say this was a hard film to digest.

This film was purposively designed to shock, to facilitate a reaction, to break through the mould of the everyday averageness of most of today’s movies. There are many things, scenes and images from this film which won’t leave you any time soon, so in that narrow instance; you can call Blonde a success. You can call it many other words, but one thing is for sure, you won’t forget that you watched this film, for better or worse.

The issue is whether that is enough for you. Blonde is based on a book that states it from the get-go is a piece of fiction. It’s supposed to be a mere “What if this happened in Marilyn’s life”. And there were a few things this film is talking about that can be argued are possibly correct, like mistreating Marilyn when she was alive, almost “tossing her around” like some sort of human-sized toy. Where the issue for me (and many others based on reading some reviews after watching this movie) lied was that this film does the same thing it’s blaming its audience for. There is a scene which almost breaks the fourth wall and puts the blame onto us for what’s happening to Marilyn. But isn’t it a bit hypocritical? Isn’t the idea of making a film showcasing Marilyn in a certain way based on a work of fiction doing the same thing, just using her name to sell itself? It is because if you were to remove the name Marilyn Monroe from this film, nobody would care about it. Or its viewing audience would shrink by 50%.

Let’s talk about Ana’s performance. I had no problem with her portraying Marilyn, despite the fact she “had an accent” (one of the most common criticisms you can read about her casting is that she sounded too Cuban). I will judge her based on her performance rather than the fact she happens to be Cuban because Jesus fucking Christ. Anyway, I thought she was outstanding. There was no moment where Ana wasn’t in this 100%, for better or worse. It didn’t matter what the scene demanded, she gave the film all she had. Is it an Oscar-worthy performance? Honestly, you can flip a coin at this point for me, more likely not; however, I wasn’t mad/annoyed she got nominated. She carries this film not because she plays the main role but because she becomes the film. You needed somebody as strong as Ana to lead this film and never once flinch. There more I think about it, the more I am talking myself into Ana being rightfully nominated, as she was one of two things that made this movie stand out. The other is the cinematography.

As I stated above, Ana’s nomination wasn’t expected (for me), but I wouldn’t have been surprised to see cinematography nominated. That aspect was the other thing that couldn’t be denied. How beautiful this film was, despite what was happening on the screen. The beautiful cinematography by Chayse Irvin lifts this film for me; despite having a hard time with the story or the hypocritical message, I was stunned many times looking at the film purely because his work was so excellent. It is a shame he didn’t get the recognition he deserved.

At this point, it’s so hard to distinguish what is fact and fiction regarding the one and only Marilyn Monroe. From some reading I did about the actual Marilyn, she was ahead of her time on many social issues and not as dumb as she was portrayed. However, she seemed to have many demons, and her entanglement with some of the most powerful men of that era also didn’t help her. The biggest irony of it all is that this film thinks it’s somehow in Marilyn’s corner when in reality does to her memory what others did to her when she was alive, profiting off of her name. Since there are so many stories, books, movies, legends and myths about Marilyn, she seems almost like this mythical being rather than just a being. I am not sure what the purpose of the fictionalised “what if” book about her life should have achieved, and maybe the book itself is a masterpiece; I don’t know, as I have not read it. But the film based on that book succeeds in shocking you but fails in almost every other aspect, as it seems painfully unaware of the irony of what its mere existence does to Marilyn’s legacy.

Overall, Blonde is one hell of a depressing film that showcases Ana de Armas and her talent. We can discuss whether she deserved that nomination, but one thing is undeniable. She gave this film her everything and then some. I admire that. The cinematography is also stunning, and based on those two facts alone, I am almost willing to cautiously recommend this movie. What is stopping me are the scenes that mix reality with pure fiction and how many people will go into this film, not knowing it’s not supposed to be viewed as reality. Also, the fact it blames the audience for what happened to Marilyn whilst doing exactly the same thing is a choice. I would say, read a thing or two about this book and then about the actual Marilyn. And then, and maybe then, go check out this film if you want to see something unique; something that will stay with you for a while. But get ready to be disturbed.

That’s all for this one! Did yous see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke