A movie cooked up and recorded during COVID-19 can be a gamble in this climate – but introduce it to the invigorating talents of John David Washington and Zendaya, and you may have a winning recipe for success, perhaps even during the Academy Awards. ‘Malcolm & Marie’ is a showcase of an actor and uses the most amazing instincts and sensitivities of his artists, who can both find space to star in the lead role.
The film was written and directed by Sam Levinson and tells the story of Malcolm, a director, and his girlfriend Marie, who, during the evening after the premiere of his latest film, explore the highs and lows of their relationship while they wait. critics’ answers.
Do you know what the Oscars like more than movies? Movies about ‘the movies’. Scatter a struggling director in the struggle to express his art through a cinema, and academy voters, especially men, will trace its basis and execution. Washington’s best work yet surpasses his work in Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” which just missed the Oscar track. If he sees his place as the future of the Hollywood industry, it could be his entry into the grace of the Academy.
Zendaya is one of the biggest stars in the world, slowly but surely showcasing her acting, from blockbusters like ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ to HBO’s hit series ‘Euphoria’, for which she becomes the second black woman to become the best actress in a drama series in 2019. Can she overtake or break into this year’s best actress race that is just as dynamic and competitive as ever? It’s possible, and the imagination of a series that includes her with Viola Davis, the first black woman of an Emmy in the best actress in a drama series, will be a turning point for the next wave of diverse artists.
Zendaya and John David Washington in “Malcolm & Marie”
DOMINICAL MILLER / NETFLIX © 2021
Outside of the acting categories, Levinson will be a favorite among a certain demographic of the director’s branch, who see the film as a living metaphor for their entire existence. There may be a more grounded, less impressed group of filmmakers, especially writers, who will struggle with the extravagant dialogue. It reminded me of the story behind Darren Aronofsky’s ‘mother!’ which covered the whole spectrum of film criticism with its divided reception. It is widely shared that Aronofsky wrote the film in one weekend. If we compare it to Levinson, who wrote the screenplay in eight days, this origin and creation probably served as an echo chamber of personal feelings. The academy in general may have difficulty responding to it, but these types of predictions can be difficult to read early on.
The cinematography of Marcell Rév is delightfully produced and can find love among the members of the branch.
History must be made if there are enough voters for the best picture category. Along with Levinson and his wife Ashley Levinson, Washington and Zendaya serve as producers. Named after one of Netflix’s other features, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” along with “Malcolm & Marie,” Washington, along with his father Denzel, is the first father-and-son couple to co-star in the category’s history. be named.
If Zendaya is nominated for best picture, she marks many records. She would be the second black woman to be nominated in the category after Oprah Winfrey for ‘Selma’ in 2014. She would also be the most nominated black woman in a single year in history, with Mary J. Blige.
It is also worth noting that she was nominated alongside one of the black actresses in the Oscar fight, including Nicole Beharie (‘Miss Juneteenth’), Viola Davis (‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’) and Andra Day (‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’), would be the second time more than one black woman has been nominated for Best Actress in the same year. Ever.
At 24, she would be the youngest nominated woman in category history. Even more importantly, if she is nominated for both the film and the actress, she will be the first woman to be nominated for acting and production. Frances McDormand of “Nomadland” also intends to achieve the same record.
Not to mention that Washington and Zendaya would be the first main nominees who would also be nominated for the photo if that happened.
When it comes to winning, which is too close to expanding the actress, if she beats the odds, she only joins Halle Berry as a black woman to win the category over 93 years. She could also be the first actress since Helen Mirren to win an Emmy and an Oscar in the same year. Finally, she would be the fifth youngest winner of the everyday transgression of Audrey Hepburn in 1953’s ‘Roman Holiday’, days behind Joan Fontaine in ‘Suspicion’ in 1941.
Quite an achievement and definitely an uphill battle. It can break everything in her way.
“Malcolm & Marie” will be released on February 5 on Netflix.