Heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time!!!

Rating: 8/10 (23 April 2020)

There have been many films over the tears that have covered the end of a marriage and divorce. Kramer vs Kramer is probably the most famous one but this subject has been covered many times. A Marriage Story presents it in a very sober and matter a fact way. It is presented in a very real way. Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver play Nicole and Charlie, a couple with a son that live in New York. Charlie is a theater writer and director. She is an actress that works with Charlie's theater company. When she was younger, Nicole was in a movie that gave her a little notoriety. She lived in LA but when she met Charlie she went to New York. They have decided to separate. They agree to go through a mediator to not involve lawyers but in the mediator's office he asks them to read the good things that they feel for each other out loud. Nicole refuses. She is going to take her son and go to LA to work on a TV pilot. Charlie is aware and agrees with the idea that she and his son would be back not fully realizing the marriage is over. Nicole is living with her mother in LA. Nicole goes to a lawyer in LA and is going to serve Charlie with divorce papers as soon as he comes to visit their son Henry. Nicole can't serve him the papers so she asks her sister Cassie to do it. This film is certainly a drama but their are many funny scenes. Charlie gets to Nicole's mother's house and comes in as if nothing is wrong. He gets along with Nicole's family very well, they love him too. He seems blindsided with the divorce papers. He thought that the move to LA would be temporary and Nicole would come back. Not the case. Charlie feels that they can work the divorce between them without lawyers. Things have changes. The film has alot to say about how people that still even love each other become enemies when they divorce. The most simple things become legal battles with each side's lawyers trying to make each of the former couple look like horrible people. While sucking them dry financially. Nicole's lawyer is Nora played very well by Laura Dern. She is very nice but a very good, brutally effective divorce lawyer. Charlie first hires a lawyer named Bert played by Alan Alda. He is an old style, lawyer, wanting to maje the divorce as painless as possible. He is not strong enough to tangle with Nora so Charlie hires Hay played by Ray Liotta, who us more of an aggressive lawyer for court. There is not much running time spent in the court room scenes bit it is clear that both Nora and Charlie are horrified at their lawyer's tactics at making each them look like horrible people. The maddening thing about this relationship is that it is obvious that these 2 people care very deeply about each other. The relationship is portrayed as being mostly respectful but of coursethere are many problems. As a viewer I asked myself many times why didn't this couple try to work it out? There is a scene that they try to gave a conversation without the lawyers but all of the legal fighting brings out the pent up anger in both of them and they have a horrible fight. Ultimately, things get worked out and both move on. The film doesn't necessarily sude with either of them which is good. The film to me explores the fine line there is between love and hatred in marriage. It's obvious that Nora and Charlie care about each other, but that is not the only thing that could keep them together. The film is hopeful in the way that it portrays to parents that both love their son ho through what must be a horrific process. Divorce.
Grade: B+