‘Marriage Story’ is a powerful comedy-drama starring Adam Driver (as Charlie) and Scarlett Johansson (as Nicole) and it is directed and written by Noah Baumbach. So far, it has amazingly won 100 awards and has been selected for 224 nominations – many of these include best motion picture of the year, best screenplay and best original score. The film was released on the 6th December 2019 in the UK and it is a Netflix Original.
This intriguing film is about a husband and wife going through a divorce. It illustrates the couple’s struggles between one another due to work opportunities in different places as well as just general disagreement. Further, we see the impact lawyers have on a divorce since they are portrayed as very patronising and intimidating towards the opposition, especially when they are in court. The couple find it challenging to come to an agreement for custody arrangements for their son, Henry. According to critic Terri White, “‘Marriage Story’ manages to be one of this year’s best thrillers, comedies and romcoms all at once. A tender, taut gem of a film that will make you reconsider love and loss.”
This 2 hour and 17 minute film was made subsequently after Noah Baumbach's divorce from the actress Jenifer Jason Leigh and Baumbach said, "I have a real connection to the material ... [but] I was also at a time in my life where many of my friends were getting divorced. I saw it as an opportunity to do something more expansive, so I did a lot of research. I interviewed a lot of my friends, and friends of friends, and then also lawyers, judges, mediators.” After the release of the movie, Baumbach said, "I showed [Leigh] the script and then I showed her the movie a little bit ago. She likes it a lot." This film relates to many people of today’s society, so it is somewhat reassuring knowing that they are not the only ones going through this lengthy and emotionally-draining process.
Personally, one of the most significant things about this film was the soundtrack – the elegant piano within several compositions is very soothing and comforting to listen to. A score called ‘Mommy Phase’ is my favourite because I could listen to it over and over again due to how dazzling yet charismatic it is – the melody is remarkable. It is beautiful to listen to when you are walking to work or even to send you into a wonderful night’s sleep. Randy Newman has made an excellent soundtrack for ‘Marriage Story’ – it has even been nominated for an Oscar.
I would say the target audience for the film is adults, due to it having a 15 certificate, but also because it is something that they are more likely to relate to. Despite this, I am not close to even being an adult and I enjoyed the film tremendously – it is in my top 10. Even though the running time is quite long, I found every minute of the film enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it to anyone willing to watch something new.
