Malcolm & Marie Netflix film review: glossy, sexy and utterly gripping

There are only two characters in this sexy and grippingly claustrophobic drama, which was shot during the pandemic and (if Netflix audiences gobble it up) could pave the way for more small-is-beautiful productions.

Marie (teen favourite, Zendaya) has a bone to pick with her writer-director boyfriend, Malcolm (Tenet’s John David Washington), who forgot to thank her during a press screening speech. Over the course of an evening, the pair indulge in character assassination and, at one point, a kitchen knife is waved. It’s all part of the fun that we can’t tell where this war of words is headed. Blowjobs? Bloodshed? Anything seems possible.

Malcolm, who worships Jewish film-makers like William Wyler and Ben Hecht, has made a film about a young, poor, black woman’s struggle to quit drugs. He feels he has a right to tell that story. Not because he’s black, but because he’s a human being. Which infuriates the sardonic Marie, a former drug addict who claims that practically every detail of the film comes from her lived experience.

That director-writer, Sam Levinson (son of Barry), is a white, Jewish, middle-class male is likely to inspire a gazillion think-pieces. Since Levinson is neither black, female or underprivileged, has he found a way to have his cake and eat it?

Most of the speeches are terrifically entertaining and funny (the term “Levinson-esque” does not exist, but that may be about to change). That said, a few diatribes, especially the ones about white journalists and their obsession with “authenticity”, are tedious. Full disclosure: even critics find critics boring. These interludes will send the general public into a coma.

Luckily the cast bust their beautiful guts to keep us on side. Washington is hepped-up and hyper-charming. His grooving to James Brown’s Down And Out in New York City is particularly yummy and he nails Malcolm’s man-child sloppiness. The character’s frantic search for his phone is a masterclass in his-teria. But the 36 year-old actor really comes into his own when Malcolm turns spiteful.

As for Zendaya, the surname-refusnik has always been more organically edgy than her roots as a Disney poppet would imply. At the ripe old age of 24, she’s been in several blockbusters and if you’ve ever thought, “If only someone would give her more to do!”, your prayers have been answered. The scene where Marie shows off her acting skills is as thrilling as the moment in La La Land where we realise Mia is in audition mode. As well as being brilliant, it’s a celebration of acting itself, which Hollywood is never averse to (don’t be surprised if Zendaya gets a Best Actress nom).

Everything’s shot in black and white and the camerawork is smart, elegant and, in a few scenes, hypnotic. Elsewhere, it’s overly glossy. As Marie drapes herself around the fancy-schmancy house, after a bath, you may find yourself possessed by a strange urge to order Calvin Klein cologne. Gamine girl. Wet hair. Tiny pants. Levinson’s reinventing the wheel.

Still, how can you resist a project that uses Little Simz’ Selfish as a Greek chorus?

Levinson and his cast play a lot of games to make a serious point. Marie feels overshadowed by Malcolm yet, the truth is, she’s second to none.

106mins, 15; on Netflix from February 5