Absolutely Heartbroken

Rating: 9/10 (17 January 2020)

I am absolutely heartbroken. Noah Baumbach's newest venture Marriage Story is a deep take on marriage falling apart as the family violently attempts to stay together. Marriage Story stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson who play growingly estranged husband and wife. Charlie (Driver) and Nicole (Johansson) have spent years raising their son and working creatively together in a New York Theatre company, but their irresolvable differences have pushed them towards divorce. Although they wish to end things amicably, bloodthirsty lawyer Nora Fanshaw (Laura Dern) steps in and pits the warring parties against each other.
Marriage Story masterfully showcases the hurt divorce spreads over families each day. As an audience member, I was physically pained to watch Charlie and Nicole's relationship disintegrate even though they both so desperately wanted mutual happiness. This strong emotional drain is due to two main elements, Baumbach's impressive ability to write natural conversation and the lead actors beautifully played roles. Baumbach crafts scenes that are not too dissimilar to early American Independent works that captured life as it really happens. He plants clever "ticking time bombs" into every scene that drive the plot forward like an unstoppable train. Driver and Johansson are believable to the point of ridiculousness. I truly felt as though they actually loved each other; I felt the pain behind their words. Most importantly, credit to both writer and actor/actress, I never sensed melodrama.
Marriage Story is falls into the category of once every few year character-driven masterpieces. The last of which was Manchester by the Sea. These movies move you, forcing the audience to reevaluate their intentions and their outlook on the world. Marriage Story is a must for movie lovers that could only have been better if shown on the big screen.