cioriiacristian

The film started off with a genuine horror storyline. You got the scary tornado and some jovial young people to root for. There were some creative and entertaining deaths in the beginning but the fun all died off after that. The rest of the film is the usual Hollywood take of trying to paint the rich guy as the bad dude and to point fingers to greedy corporate America, whilst also trying to make a hip sciency film that also has a female lead as the hero top scientist who is always right to make it more DEI friendly, topped with absolute cringeworthy science lines, plot holes, obvious mistakes in set/ lighting (one second it's sunny, the next it's all stormy, dark, hazy and hail falling down) and not to miss the laughable display of Youtube influencers on screen. It's chockfull of stereotypes and loses its fun aspect very early on. You're much better off watching something that it's true to their calling, like the catastrophe genre film 2012. Instead of trying to make scientists look cool, or be virtue signaling once more Hollywood could have tried to make a fun and entertaining film. Missed the mark on this one, big time.

Andrew Dominik, writer-director of Blonde, gives a very personal account of Norma Jean's life. He unapologetically removes all the glitter from the life of the star Marilyn Monroe, and gives us the person behind the stage name, Norma Jean.

The cinematography is outstanding. Andrew uses a reflexive theme throughout the film (reminiscent of Terrence Mallick) to get us closer to Norma. I would argue that even though it does not paint Norma in a good light, the film empathizes with her more than any other tribute I have ever seen. Marilyn becomes a real person while watching the film, instead of being depicted as a star looking at you from above.

Even though the film has some surreal moments and it is not factually correct at times, it rings true, and like most truths, this one hurts intensely. Norma was a fatherless child, had a clinically insane mother, was adopted by her grandparents, married young, divorced because of her pin-up modelling career, had many plastic surgeries, miscarriages, failed divorces and the list goes on. Norma was a deeply troubled person and certainly nothing you could call at peace with herself or fulfilled. She was a sex symbol, used as an example to follow by the sexual liberation movement. However, what lied behind the momentary glamour and spotlights was a tormented soul.

Some may think this film does not do justice to Marilyn, because it shows none of the greatness and paints her in a bad light. However, instead of fooling ourselves by believing what greedy studios, celebrity and pop magazines tell us in order to get our money, this film goes in the opposite direction and shows us the inner life of Norma Jean.

My rating of 10 may be exaggerated, however, I will stand by it mainly because this film gives us harsh truths instead of pleasant and deceiving lies. Norma hardly ever lead a fulfilling life and the film makes it clear.

Considering this was made with a microbudget, this is an excellent example of what can be achieved with little funds.

I had a very good experience watching it, especially because I am a hobbyist filmmaker myself and it was a joy to figure out how the film was made. Because of its limitations you can see how different elements combine to make the final film but it does turn seamless and authentic on multiple accounts with some very nice action / dramatic scenes. I especially liked the lighting work and the set design. Shout out also to the sound designer that made the film all the more immersive.

When it comes to the film itself and the story it presents, it has gaps at times in narrative flow and, onscreen, the producers tried to achieve too much with too little sometimes. But overall it was enjoyable!

Highly recommend if you are into filmmaking analysis or the indy scene.