Where Does Dreaming End and Madness Begin? 3.5 / 5
Directed by Andrew Dominik.
This reimagined fictional portrait of Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.
Blonde is an understandably divisive and distressing watch that revels in tragedy as a shameless and exhausting fabrication of events surrounding the life of Norma Jeane Mortenson aka Marilyn Monroe.
A tough experience for more reasons than I care to list here - this prolonged film forces you to sit in discomfort detailing and repeating the trauma of the lead character. Though overly stylised and not always effective, what Andrew Dominik has achieved through this film is a sight to behold. It may not be pleasant but it knows what it's doing and pushes its subject matter to its extreme.
Ana de Armas' performance is transformative. She vanishes into the role giving not only a career best but one of the strongest of the year, balancing the glamour and weight of the role as the world implodes around her.
What on the surface looks to be an introspective look into the effect of being in the eye of the storm at the very peak of celebrity is quickly revealed to be an oppressive and nightmarish horror film.
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