Andrew Dominik’s latest film, “Blonde,” has stirred up controversy since its very first announcement. The 166-minute NC-17 movie is based on Joyce Carol Oates’ novel of the same name that reimagines the life of film industry legend Norma Jean Baker, better known as Marilyn Monroe. Rather than a biopic, the film, which is now available on Netflix, is meant to be an interpretation of Monroe’s internal emotions and impressions. 

Controversy Well Deserved

The movie starts out with a young Norma Jean being physically and emotionally abused by her mentally ill mother. While we do know Gladys Baker was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was too ill to raise Monroe, it’s unclear if the abuse ever got to the level depicted in the movie. Either way, Dominik’s portrayal of mentally ill people rocking back and forth, screaming in straight jackets or staring unresponsively is incredibly offensive and downright unoriginal. 

“Blonde” has also been called out for handling Monroe’s miscarriages and abortions in the absolute worst way possible. There’s little evidence Monroe ever had an abortion beyond rumors, though we know she had several miscarriages and yearned for children. “Blonde” does not pretend to be historically accurate, but the film goes as far as including a CGI fetus that guilts Monroe for previous abortions, saying, “You won’t hurt me this time, will you?” This scene is not only offensive, but it’s simply weird. 

Beyond the CGI baby, the film is visually spectacular. Several scenes mirror famous photographs of the star, constructing a fictional context and sentiment for the scene. Ana de Armas captures Monroe’s strange and seductive facial expressions perfectly in Monroe’s signature makeup style. There were moments when de Armas would look so much like Monroe that I found myself pausing to check that it wasn’t really the legend herself. De Armas was incredibly dedicated to the role. Her Cuban accent does come through quite strongly at points, but I can confidently say her presence was one of the few shining lights in an otherwise bleak movie. 

Men Aren’t Attentive to Girls Who Aren’t Miserable

The movie takes a Freudian approach to Monroe’s life, essentially claiming everything she ever did was because she didn’t know who her father was. Monroe only ever refers to her lovers, always older men, as “Daddy,” and though this was a slang term at the time and Monroe uses it in some of her roles, its use in the film is far too on the nose. 

“Blonde” is meant to be a stylized, feminist reimagining of Monroe’s life. But the film only seems interested in rehashing the old story of the tragic, beautiful and abused starlet which is both oversold and fairly inaccurate. There is hardly a scene in the film in which de Armas is not on the verge of tears or already crying; you could make a pretty dangerous drinking game out of it.

The third act further exploits Monroe’s trauma by turning her mental illness into an art-house horror film with ’80s-slasher levels of unnecessary nudity. In her life, Monroe stood up to the producer who overworked and underpaid her and got the pay raise she deserved. In “Blonde,” the same man rapes her. 

When asked why the film ignores Marilyn’s work against McCarthyism and segregation or her production company, Dominik simply said, “OK, she wrested control away from the men at the studio, because, you know, women are just as powerful as men. But that’s really looking at it through a lens that’s not so interesting to me.” The lens that Dominik does find interesting seems to be the same one Lana Del Rey used when making her “National Anthem” music video — depression is sexy and women’s lives revolve exclusively around men. I guess 2014 Tumblr sad girls really are coming back. 

Dominik is Not a Girl’s Best Friend

Marilyn Monroe was a woman who captivated a generation and lived on largely through an overly sexualized image splashed onto T-shirts and Playboy magazines. But Baker has been reclaimed by countless individuals who empathize with her struggles and her triumphs. We don’t need “Blonde.” Save yourself the insane runtime and just go watch an actual Marilyn Monroe movie.

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