The movie is heavily inspired by Joyce Carol Oates’ novel
It would be incorrect to call Netflix’s Blonde, a biopic. The new movie, which stars Ana de Armas as legendary Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe, is more of a faithful adaptation of the famous novel published by author Joyce Carol Oates. The movie shows the horrifying sides of Hollywood, hidden just beneath the glitz and glamor. Let’s take a closer look at the movie.
Blonde Story
Blonde shows the fictionalized life of Monroe’s normal life as Norma Jeane. The more we try to understand her personality, the more we realize how complex and mysterious she can be. Her real-life relationships and iconic moments are shown, but it’s clear that director Andrew Dominik and the team want to explore the dual persona. We see that Marilyn Monroe is the artificial persona that happens every time Norma Jeane, the human one, gets abused. But the made-up persona comes so often that the real one gets lost in the dark.
While it’s not a biopic, Blonde still shows Monroe’s life from cradle to grave. We get to see young Norma watching her mother (Julianne Nicholson) have a mental breakdown. We see baby Norma’s cradle as a drawer in the dresser, and her mother saying her father is too important in Hollywood to even mention. She soon gets left in an orphanage. Abandonment by her parents and her mother’s mental illness causes fractures throughout her.
In Conclusion
The movie is about trauma piled upon trauma, and the endurance of a single public figure. We see Hollywood treating their actors as commodities, and prescribing drugs to its stars. Ana de Armas proves yet again why she is a brilliant actress by fully absorbing Monroe, while bringing her own touch as Norma. It is an aesthetic treat, but with sadness in every corner. People can equally like and hate this film.
Blonde arrives on Netflix on September 28.
Also read: HOUSE OF THE DRAGON REWRITES THE NIGHT KING’S DEATH IN NEW EPISODE