Darren Friel

Ana de Armas embodied Marilyn (Norma Jean) visually stunning and heartbreaking. I went into this movie not expecting, and not caring what previous damming reviews had been returned. Armas was brilliant. This was never going to be a movie for Pro lifer’s or JFK fan’s. The content alone shows the ugliness of life, ugliness of showbiz, the ugliness of people. It’s brutal in the sense that her life was equally brutal. You either get it, or you don’t. Armas was very believable as Marilyn (Norma Jean) a tortured frail soul searching to find the love of the father she had never known, and the mother who although loved her, had her very own tortured frail mind. The pregnancy/abortion scenes were ugly, but without them the true self, frailty, and mindset of Marilyn/Norma Jean would be lost. This is a fictional look into Marilyn’s life, but is most likely closer to the truth and honest. Fans of JFK would not want to see the ugliness of the how the powerful president was sexually exploiting Marilyn or any other woman. But, that is what keeps this movie honest. Powerful people do despicable acts wether we choose to accept it. We can’t prove or deny these people were who we saw through our eyes or our time. It was a different time, different world. Norma Jean used Marilyn as a shield, and mask. They were equally in search for love in totally different places. Norma Jean in search of the father figure and love of both parents, Marilyn sought true love in the romantic happy content sense. She was doomed to find neither. Marilyn was desired, manipulated, sexualised and destroyed by men in powerful places. Even though she used her sexuality to advance her career. I don’t think this was Norma Jeans intention. She just wanted do what she loved and be happy, but lacked the confidence which came through her alter ego Marilyn. Arthur Miller played by Adrien Brody was equally brilliant. And made me feel that Arthur was Marilyn’s true love even though she didn’t recognise it when she had found it. I think that Arthur was the only man throughout Marilyn’s life that truly loved her for who she really was. This movie although a little lengthy, and exaggerated in parts, but doesn’t deserve the damning criticism, and poor reviews I have read thus far. It is edgy, ugly, honest, and visually clever. If you watch it with an open mind you get it. If you watch it looking for Marilyn the you think you know it will be lost on you.