With Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Laura Dern being just a few incredible members of the cast, it is no wonder the movie “Marriage Story” has been all the talk. Netflix’s new film makes a substantial impact on its audience. You will cry and you will laugh. Noah Baumbach, one of the great American filmmakers, puts viewers on an emotional rollercoaster. In this movie, the narrators are both the husband and the wife, allowing the viewer to hear two different perspectives. This narration tactic is particularly powerful because it feels as though we get to know the couple even better than they know themselves.
The movie begins with Nora’s and Charlie’s letters to one another. A mediator has asked the two protagonists to write about their partner’s strengths, and although these are not read aloud during the session, the letters establish some significant qualities of each character. Charlie writes about how Nora is always “inexplicably brewing a cup of tea she doesn’t drink” and she knows how to drive a stick shift. Similarly, Nora explains the way Charlie eats as if he is trying to get it over with and how he loves every part of being a father, even being woken up in the middle of the night. Both characters have thoughtful, positive things to say about one another—until the plot shifts.
Nora acts as if everything is normal when Charlie walks through the door, and then, out of nowhere, she tells him that she wants a divorce by handing him the legal papers. Just like the rest of the movie, this entire situation was confusing. Nora realizes she wants a divorce as she sees herself becoming lost in her marriage, but all other explanations for their split are unknown. From this point forward, various flashbacks are presented to explain Nora’s and Charlie’s situation, but we are still left puzzled. What leads her to finally realize this? How does she not discuss this with her child’s father? Many questions arise at this point, and at the end of the movie, they are still left unanswered.
All in all, there is a drastic switch in the way Nora and Charlie treat one another throughout the movie. Although they originally wished to leave lawyers out of their divorce, they find themselves in court and facing financial troubles. Periodically, there are moments of hope for the couple, but instead of any resolution, another chaotic flashback would be exposed. “Marriage Story” is a very personal and emotional movie and even though some viewers were left feeling unfulfilled, the movie gives us deep insight into a modern divorce. With six nominations and one win for the 77th Golden Globe Awards, this movie depicts a grueling reality of a couple’s complicated situation.
