Grace Hughes

Amazing performances from Zendaya and Washington. The film brings up a lot of interesting discussion around film critique, identity politics, and relationships. I thought the arguments about how much Malcolm appreciates Marie to be really compelling and emotional. However, a lot of the movie just felt like watching a writer attempt to build a suit of armor to protect himself from criticism. A lot was unnecessary - they say each other's names 4,5,6 times a minute as if we don't know who they're talking to even though there's literally only two characters present in the whole thing, which I found unrealistic at best and annoying at worst. I also don't get why we need more films about filmmakers? It feels like half the movies being made nowadays center around people in the entertainment industry, which makes it hard to connect to and overdone. That being said, there were a lot of beautiful shots, great pieces of dialogue, and overall impressive filmmaking. Didn't love the black and white but that's just personal preference.