For some people, marriage connotates future happiness; the bride and groom smile their way down a staircase, awaiting the limo to drive them off to somewhere serene. Marriage Story, however, challenges this assumption hard.
Marriage Story delves into a married couple of Charlie, acted by Adam Driver, and Nicole, portrayed by Scarlett Johansson. Directed and produced by Noah Baumbach, the movie won countless awards, including a recent win from Laura Dern for Best Supporting Actress in the Oscars this year. So why is this award-winning Netflix movie getting so much acclaim?
Instead of the corny cliche of happily ever after, the movie takes on a realistic approach to the aftermath of a married couple, leaving you with moments of shock and sadness. The couple struggles with a dilemma of conflicting goals. Charlie is a director of a theater company on Broadway. Adam hopes that Nicole would support him in his future projects. On the contrary, Nicole wants to be independent, making her own career in Los Angeles where she can pursue acting.
This conflict starts to escalate throughout the movie, and the story revolves around their inevitable divorce. Both the husband and wife debate whether they have full custody of their son, Jake. Soon enough, they hired lawyers for an upcoming trial that determines the verdict.
“It’s kind of depressing. There is a lot of stressful emotion,” said Junior Ryan Bautista, a student who watched the film.
The movie is an extremely in-your-face type, where the actors and actresses express raw emotion, while also not being too unrealistically dramatic. Gemma Macaranas, a mom herself, was asked what her intimate moment was. She answered,
“The time when they were going through the divorce process – when everyone was spilling out dirt,” Macaranas said. “I think that is the one! When everyone spends a lot of money to spend lawyers. I always hear that from real life.” She said she wouldn’t be surprised if this was based on a true story. (Although it is not.)
Despite the opinions of adults, teenagers may find this movie unrelatable. When asked if the movie had any moments that connected to his life, Bautista stated that he “didn’t find it relatable.” Although, he did agree that other teenagers may like to watch it for recreation.
The movie will lead you on a journey of pain, possibly shaking your head at the decisions this couple makes. However, this doesn’t mean that you should lower your expectations.
“I think they became friends (by the end) and tried co-parenting with the child. I think the ending was healthy,” Macaranas said.
