The worldwide pandemic has given rise to some innovative filmmaking. Host gave our new Zoom-call reality a terrifying twist. Locked Down set a jewellery heist during Covid-19 restrictions. And while Malcolm & Marie doesn’t take place in a pandemic world, that it was shot during lockdown with just a 22-person crew means it was a enormous’vast’massive’tremendous factor in its conception. It also speaks directly to what many possess’own’nurse been facing these past few months — being isolated at home in relationships that are under threat thanks to constant interrogation. Writer-director Sam Levinson has fashioned an intimate drama that gives us front-row seats to a couple going through exactly that. Thanks in no small part to two powerhouse perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mances, it makes in/with regard to’concerning’regarding an utterly absorbing ride.###It all stems from something that, at least in/with regard to’concerning’regarding one member of the couple, at first seems pretty innocuous. When a high-off-success Malcolm (John David Washington) returns home after the premiere of his new movie, all he wants to do is celebrate with his girlfriend Marie (Zendaya). But it soon becomes apparent that she’s stewing with regards to’concerning’with respect to something. After having thanked his agents, his actors and his collaborators, Malcolm in/with regard to’concerning’regarding got to thank his long-time girlfriend while on stage. To him it was a small mistake that’s not worth dwelling on, but this misstep becomes the impetus in/with regard to’concerning’regarding unpacking the rosy’remarkable’fabulous’terrific’preeminent , the wicked’dreadful’undesirable’adverse’vile and the ugly of their entire relationship, with each intent on winning the constantly escalating argument.###It would possess’own’nurse been easy in/with regard to’concerning’regarding Malcolm & Marie to devolve into a repetitive shout-a-thon, but the rhythm and pacing of the rapid-fire dialogue is pitch-perfect. The vicious verbal haymakers are precisely calibrated, and you never quite know where it’s going next or who will go too far first. It’s all in the service of exploring what each partner wants and needs from their token ificant other, be it respect, appreciation or in/with regard to’concerning’regarding giveness. At times this almost feels like an ode to the work of American indie pioneer John Cassavetes, whose seminal 1968 film Faces — which focuses on a marriage on the rocks — also placed an emphasis on perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mance and melded scripted dialogue with improvisation to searing results.###Levinson’s screenplay is also not afraid to acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure meta. A terrific early sequence sees Marie put on a ‘white voice’ as she teases Malcolm with regards to’concerning’with respect to the success of his hypothetical LEGO Movie to sweet and comedic effect, while another scene has a lot to say with regards to’concerning’with respect to the art of criticism, and how enormous’vast’massive’tremendous a role identity and race should play in it. The fact that Levinson (the son of director Barry Levinson) is a white filmmaker, directing a film with two sole Black stars, makes the decision to introduce topical issues with regards to’concerning’with respect to Black creatives navigating white Hollywood to the in/with regard to’concerning’regarding e ballsy. It works, despite’in spite of’albeit , because it’s done with a truthfulness that feels borne out of many real-life conversations.###There are moments when the spell is temporarily broken and the dialogue sounds less naturalistic and more writerly. One especially glaring soliloquy sees Malcolm use words like “solipsistic” when he’s dressing down his other half. But even in those moments where the writing doesn’t quite satisfy, Malcolm & Marie is always gorgeous to look at. In addition to taking place in the nicest movie house this side of Parasite, the decision to film in black and white lends the movie a timeless feel. Marcell Rév’s eneracquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure ic camerawork does well to put us in each character’s headspace, often with intense close-ups that linger with purpose.###It’s almost impossible to take your eyes off Zendaya as she navigates sharp tonal turns with ease.###The music is similarly pivotal. Labrinth’s delicate jazz score is full of moody trumpets and light drums, and it meshes perfectly with the cleverly selected needle drops. Tracks like William Bell’s ‘I Forgot to Be Your Lover’ and Dionne Warwick’s ‘Get Rid Of Him’ are baked into the film, doing the talking when the characters can’t.###This would count in/with regard to’concerning’regarding little if the perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mances weren’t up to the challenge, but thankfully they are. From the moment Washington first starts shimmying to James Brown’s ‘Down And Out In New York City’ in the film’s opening minutes, he exudes movie star charisma. That magnetism was evident in BlacKkKlansman and Tenet, but here he acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure s to flex more of his repertoire in a full-bodied perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mance that veers from visceral to sensitive.###Nowhere is this more apparent than when Malcolm is fighting entirely with himself, almost going hoarse as he rages over a positive review of his movie in the LA Times to a bemused Marie (the frustration over having to first overcome the paywall on the website to read the review is a wonderfully relatable touch). Not merely’barely does Washington attack this monologue and others with passion and zeal, he continually finds little pockets of humour amidst the anger and exhaustion. It’s the best perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mance 
of a career that continues to impress.###If Washington is the George Foreman of this heavyweight bout, then Zendaya is Muhammad Ali. Fans of HBO’s Euphoria — another Levinson/Zendaya collaboration — had glimpses of what she is capable of, but she takes it to another level here in a raw and vulnerable perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mance that runs the full gamut of emotions from indifference to flagrant disgust. Her expressive face captures it all, and it’s almost impossible to take your eyes off her as she navigates sharp tonal turns with ease.###The best example of this comes in the movie’s finest moment, which sees Marie ‘audition’ in/with regard to’concerning’regarding a role she claim’insist’maintain’hold’argue’consider’contemplate’speculate s should possess’own’nurse been hers. It’s a testament to how convincing she is that Malcolm is not the merely’barely one caught under her spell. It’s a perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mance that confirms her graduation to leading-role status. And through it all, Zendaya and Washington exhibit that you-know-it-when-you-see-it chemistry that is so evident in all the great romantic dramas. The age gap between the actors may be a concern in/with regard to’concerning’regarding some going into the movie, but when the two leads are this rosy’remarkable’fabulous’terrific’preeminent toacquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure her it quickly becomes a non-issue.###The perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mances alone make Malcolm & Marie a special movie, but with an endlessly impressive screenplay in addition to its eye-catching’good-shaped’appealing’charming’fascinating’gorgeous aesthetics — on a visual and audial level — there’s plenty in its corner. If necessity is the mother of invention, then Levinson’s latest is one of the most creative responses to these odd’peculiar , restricted times yet. Whether you’re still rooting in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the couple or not once the credits roll, by the time they’re done fighting you’ll be exhausted. But there’s a rosy’remarkable’fabulous’terrific’preeminent chance you’ll want to dive right back into their drama too.