Is Malcolm & Marie a Horror film?
By Dwayne Carson
Malcolm & Marie wouldn’t be considered a horror film because it lacks gruesome murder scenes, violence, and white women tripping over themselves. But it is a horror film mislabeled as a romance drama. It lacks in violence, but It makes up for intense monologues accompanied by triggering language.
Zendaya and John David Washington delivered award-winning performances. The film consisted of each character going monologue for monologue as if they were going bar for bar on an hour and 46-minute song. Although it sounds repetitive, the acting is intense enough it makes it feel like you were in an argument that you can’t escape with a simple “I hear you.” Each scene showed amazing camerawork that made me feel like I was face to face with Malcolm or Marie. The black and white presentation of the film also adds to the profound amount of emotion each character displayed.
Director Sam Levinson does a great job of allowing the viewer to step through the screen and feel each character’s emotions. You can tell that Malcolm and Marie have suffered traumatic experiences that made them the way they are. Marie was a recovering drug addict who has endured a lot. Malcolm is very sensitive about his artwork, and any critics cause him to explode emotionally. Even though they’re clearly not healthy for each other, the codependency they’ve created within their relationship makes them stick together. Which is crazy.
The word crazy was used by Malcolm and Marie to describe each other. This is where the fuel for each argument comes from. The word crazy is used to describe something you can’t understand. And that’s the whole premise of the argument: they couldn’t understand each other’s struggles and pain.
This was my experience dating someone with a mental illness; there was a constant disconnect between our emotions that resulted in constant arguments. Things were said between us that cut deep and triggered thoughts of self-doubt similar to the things said by Malcolm and Marie. Dealing with impulsive behaviors, irregular moods, desire to withdraw, and anxieties in a three-year relationship was traumatic. In that hour and a half, I relieved those years.
It was a moment in the film where Malcolm stares at Marie and says, “You know, Marie, you are genuinely unstable. I’m not kidding! I’m actually concerned for your mental well-being!” and this is where the beginning of the horror film starts. Every scene from there made me relive the trauma of dating someone with a mental illness. The dread comes in the relatability of the words and emotions displayed on the screen. The passion for each line makes it feel like I was in my relationship two years ago. I felt every line so much I thought the director stole the script of a late-night conversation between my ex-girlfriend and me. It was scary just how accurate Levinson was in projecting Malcolm and Marie’s fiery emotions onto the viewers.
This classified drama/romance movie was so terrifying it called for me to reflect on past experiences and allowed me to handle situations better from years past. I believe that Malcolm & Marie should come with a trigger warning for anyone who experienced a similar relationship to the one displayed on the screen.