When you imagine Marilyn Monroe you think of glitz and glamour and sophistication, but this movie really showed that there was a very dark side to her fame, and watching it was very uncomfortable because you felt this girl just wanted better for herself and was used and abused at every turn.

In Blonde we get to see Norma Jean become Marilyn Monroe, from her childhood all the way up until her sudden death at a very young age. This film starts very dark and just continues that journey throughout the rest of its runtime, from seeing Marilyn being abused by her mother and ending up in a hospital, to never knowing who her father was and always yearning for that father figure to come and show her that he’s proud of her. I really think that bleeds into her relationships too because you often see her go for men that are more fatherly or authoritarian and even seeing her call them daddy was very hard to watch because you knew that she was just a young girl that was lost in a world and just wanted someone to love her.

Throughout the film you see all of the hardships that Marilyn goes through to become the superstar that she was, and even when she’s at the height of her fame and notoriety you can see that she is still not happy. I found it very fascinating how she talks about Marilyn in the third person as if Marilyn isn’t her but an entity that envelopes her and is just a shining star on the screen. To Norma Jean she is always Norma Jean and I found that really interesting because so many actors and actresses in the current age have aliases themselves, so you have to wonder how many of them are also dealing with this imposter syndrome of that’s not them on the big screen but instead this other being that takes them over for a while and then disappears once the paparazzi are gone.

I would definitely say if you are looking for a happy-go-lucky rags to riches story of a girl from a broken home becoming one of the world’s most famous celebrities and it being all sunshine and rainbows then this is not the film for you. I went in excited to understand Marilyn on a deeper level and came out almost wishing that I hadn’t watched it because it felt so invasive on her life. This poor girl went through so much just to be who she was and she never had that love or admiration reciprocated by anyone that she cared about. It was absolutely heart-wrenching to watch, Marilyn deserves all the love in the world and it really goes to show that money can’t buy happiness and you can have all the admirers and followers out there but if that one person that you care about the most doesn’t care about you, none of it matters.

This film is done absolutely masterfully and I think Ana de Amas embodied Marilyn wonderfully. I was immediately swept up in the story and often forgot how long the runtime was and that I was watching a movie at all, it just felt like looking through the window at a woman’s life, but this woman is someone who everyone knows and everyone wishes they could be a fly on the wall for.

If you are interested in biography films or Marilyn herself then definitely watch this but be warned that is very dark and sad and tense, you really come out feeling for her and wishing that she had a better life to be able to enjoy all of the wondrous moments she got with it, and not just constantly wish that she was still that small town girl that no one knew and actually had a happy family. It’s a very poignant watch and maybe one of my favourite films from this year, but be prepared to go on a roller coaster where you often wonder if the emotional turmoil you’re going through is worth watching the film.

What do you think of Blonde?

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding