samantha scully

the reviews i read for blonde were so bad i wasn't going to see it. and i'd just finished secrets of playboy so there was that, lest anyone forget marilyn was the first ever playboy cover girl. but i was far enough down the rabbit hole with that, i figured i should at least check blonde out. it's amazing. ana de armas is certainly amazing as all the performances are. there's the familiar territory--but new interesting angles about her psyche transform the old stories in new light. the film is also gorgeous to look at. i found the film not only sympathetic to marilyn but empathetic. as if the celebrities involved in front of and behind the camera were making a statement they related to personally on whatever level. the reviews say more about the reviewers than about the film. the film is occasionally painful to watch. this doesn't make it bad. portraying exploitation in this case is not exploitation. and this portrait of marilyn shouldn't come as surprise to anyone. but i feel the anger directed at this film is anger at having certain illusions ripped away. as if blonde triggered people to feel things they didn't want to feel to the point that they panned the film. in artistic terms this makes the film not only good but also important. blonde is difficult! beautiful and right on time.