Danielle Perera

Let me start by saying I never post reviews here because I know these are usually read prior to watching a film and I believe you should form your own opinion of one first without being influenced by someone else’s. This film completely perpetuates that sentiment. But due to all the negative reviews and it’s low rating, I had to put my two cents in. I was prepared to hate this movie from the moment I saw the trailer, mainly because of Ana de Armas’ accent. An inconsistent accent especially in a biopic is a huge pet peeve of mine. And so, when I say I barely even noticed it while watching, that is a huge testament to her absolutely impeccable acting in this film. A thick Spanish accent is among if not THE hardest to mask and she does a wonderful job. Her few and minor slip ups pale in comparison to how well she suits the role - they could not have found a better Marilyn for this reimagining of her life story. Blonde does not claim to be a factual account of Marilyn’s life, in fact it identifies as biographical fiction. So I don’t see why so many people are taking issue with whatever discrepancies it has or assumptions it makes. This along with the “artsy” structure it adopts - which also seems to have annoyed some - is no different to the Elvis biopic that came out earlier this year. I would say it’s actually more coherent in many ways and does a better job at placing it’s subject at the centre of the film. It is not “woke” or progressive and rightly so. It stays true to the time period during which it takes place and doesn’t go out of its way to make any sociopolitical statements - those of which are forced down our throats far too often in movies now a days. Blonde does what it sets out to do; gives us an imagined inside look at a tragic story from a perspective and in a style we have not seen before. I encourage you to watch the movie for yourself. I decided to watch it out of spite; just to confirm my suspicions that it would be bad and equip myself with specific examples to point to before discussing it in a negative light with other people, but what I got instead was a well deserved correction. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover (or its reviews)! People are heavily influenced by social media and as such, by one another these days. Now more than ever we need to have a mind of our own. A beautiful, unpretentious, and well-made film. I hope it eventually gets the appreciation it deserves from us.