Levinson uses more than conversation to keep the action moving. A one-off film might feel claustrophobic or static, but Malcolm & Marie never does. The camera moves through the rooms, as we see the characters coming down a hall, stepping into the patio or moving from the kitchen to the living room or bedroom. The film was shot in a house full of shiny windows, surrounded by woods, where the black-and-white shades give it a slightly ominous tone.
This live-action film deserves a newer ending, instead of the last cliché series it weaves into. Marie has a monologue about what she wanted Malcolm to thank her, a list that lands as banal rather than real or moving. Like the song that plays over the end beliefs, Outkast’s Liberation, with the lyrics, “There is a fine line between love and hate”, that last speech is also on the nose, her thoughts before -deep for this animated, visual film.
★★★★ ☆
Malcolm & Marie has been announced worldwide on Netflix on February 5th.
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