Marylin Monroe as the Role of Her life, Blonde Movie

The movie « Blonde » was launched on streaming media on the 28th of September. And, it definitely made a stir. Written and directed by Andrew Dominik, after the book of Joyce Carol Oates, of the same name, the movie depicts the life of Marylin Monroe in a way that few could imagine. In black and white and in a dramatic depressive way! Played by Ana de Armas, the story is a continuous line of struggles and mental introspections that can lead to one strong aspect from the celebrity's life: her best role was that of Marylin Monroe. And the real character, Norma Jeane was truly struggling with dramas and traumas from her life since childhood.

People wear masks in society

The movie teaches us a very strong lesson: people wear masks in society. Everyone! Especially celebrities when their characters are built for fame! No one is openly "naked" to others in society! The tougher the mask, the harder to get into the real world of that person! And Marylin Monroe's mask was a really solid one, built layer after layer.

One character on the screen, another one in her own bed, alone with herself! No one who read the tabloids could guess what troubles were inflicted in her soul that pushed her to the edges of madness. Everyone saw her sexual allure promoted in the media. Everyone saw Marylin, and not Norma Jeane. And this is so typical in our society. Everyone sees the covers, the superficial layers and stop to look any further.

Society's paradigms are so broken

Society's paradigms are so broken! The way people are lead to see happiness, success is such a distorted version of manifestation, only to fit a puzzled society's prototype. A prototype which is not made for happiness, it is made for narcissistic behaviour that creates shallow beings, corseted spirits and crippled personalities. This is what happened to Marylin, too. Her life traumas could not be erased, they were amplified by the entertainment's industry, under a fame recipe. It costed her life! By chance, Marylin has remained as a symbol over the years, the story kept a certain perfume that inspired so many. This is the reverse of the coin. Her biggest role as Marylin won several generations Oscar.

Blonde movie in black & white, a visceral introspection

The black and white version is perfectly linked to Marylin Monroe's depressive state of being. It's not about glitter and sparkles anymore, it is about the part that does not shine on the exterior. Starting from childhood drama with her father having abandoned her, her mother being mentally sick and having to live from one orphanage to another, all these composed the background of a hollowed soul.

Not many people liked this version of Marylin. It's the version of a woman seen as an object, brutalized, raped in order to receive roles, beaten by her husband, mistreated as the mistress of the President, John Kennedy, subject to various abortions. Some critics review it as trash, while others are still in owe for depicting the modern woman's celebrity life. Sex sells and women are objectified are among the real topics of the movie.

That is why, this movie touches so many sensitive points related to fame, to celebrity, to women treatment in a ferocious industry where male dominance is not only prevalent but it is mostly brutal. A movie to fuel debate, for sure!

 A striking scene is that with the President John Kennedy where she is taken by his bodyguards and where she asks: "Am I meat to be delivered? Is that what it is? Room Service?" He is expecting her in bed talking on the phone while on the TV screen could be identified the launching of Friendship 7 rocket. He doesn't bother to end the conversation but, moreover, he tells Marylin to not be shy and do the thing. So what could be a pornographic blowjob scene, turned into an embarrassing moment to watch, from a certain point of view. Quite an unflattering angle on Kennedy! 

Ana de Armas plays Marylin Monroe's fragility with care

Andrew Dominik succeeded in leading Ana de Armas into a Monroe's fragility kind of mood where she struggled to unleash her demons. Her father's absence which she will search in every man calling them "daddy", the unstable mental state of her mother that will link her to a profound desire to have a child, each time aborted, the unhealthy relationships with men and society pushed her to a precarious state of mind and being, trying to keep only the role of her life: Marylin Monroe. The one that she used to say about: "That thing up on the screen, it isn't me!"

We need narratives that push the boundaries

"Storytelling is at its most alchemically powerful when it is less concerned with palatability or social graces, and more concerned with the truth that moves us deeper. We need narratives that push the boundaries because the human condition is messy and in the mess we glimpse each other, sometimes parts we want to see and sometimes parts we don't. It's all human, and needs to see the light of the day in order to heal. And sometimes, rarely, it's conveyed with the bravery and unbridled artistry on display in this film. We will all be challenged by this story, and hopefully we will all learn something too" Evan Williams who plays, in the film, the role of Eddy Robinson Jr, the lover of Charlie Chaplin's son, says on his Instagram page.

By Andra Oprea