Adam Driver will get Oscar nomination and perhaps Scarlett might steal one two.

Rating: 8/10 (14 December 2019)

REVIEW of the "Marriage Story"
To fully grasp the meaning and the quality of "Marriage Story" some essential relationship issues need to be explained. Relationship changes over the years. What starts as lustful need to sexually connect with another human being, transforms over the years to more of a partnership relation.
Our relations with our children permit us to exercise the demons of our childhood and being parent, this time in power position, it helps us heal the wounds our parent did to us.
Using Freudian logic and his "penis envy" theory it points that woman on a subconscious level envy man, because of their strength and resilience associating masculinity with stability and femininity with being weak and unstable. However from another view point, its the feminine sensibility is what brings nourishment and ability to raise a child in environment that is being protective over the offspring. Children come out of female womb therefor on subconscious level are part of mother's body.
Once woman give birth, there is often change in their character. By fulfilling their motherhood duties, as they age woman cut their hair short which gives them more masculine feeling. They might start to resent their male partner for not paying the same amount of attention and start to look for proverbial plan "B". Man as they age loose testosterone and eventually want to prove to themselves that they still got it and invest their interest in trivial things like fast cars and even faster younger woman. Both parties start to resent one another for sacrifices they had to make for their families and eventually grow apart searching for that other person that would bring back that feeling of being worshiped once again.
I was unsure If I will like "Marriage Story". Over 2 hour long story of an actress and theatre director intertwined in custody battle over their son might not be for everyones linking, specially if any of you went through an actual divorce this film might be little bit too close to home, so to speak.
Also this movie is very dialog heavy and often feels like a theatre play with actors regurgitating long amounts of text, which is used as the main source of exposition. At one point I felt like I am watching Woody Allen movie minus the neuroses and sarcasm. But as you are investing your time in getting to know your protagonists you start to understand them on a deeper level. Its the performances that hold this film together. Both Driver and Johnsson deliver deep heartfelt performances rooted in something real. But even supporting cast works very well as an unusable.
In terms of filmmaking this film will not win any major awards. The cinematography is not "Marriage Story" strongest point, in fact it lacks imagination making it look like a theatre play, but this film shouldn't be seen for an eye candy that isn't, but for acting performances alone.
There is an Oscar buzz around Driver's performance and I was curious if its justified. And indeed it is. There is specially one scene in the apartment where Scarlett comes to try to mediate with Adam to find peaceful solution to their costly divorce, which takes turn in to blaming game of why their life turned out the way it did. They both are mesmerizing here but Driver connects his rage to something real from his personal past which makes audience feel like they are the fly on the wall and are witnessing something very intimate they were not suppose to see. Confrontation between two people who underneath love one another.
Scarlett's character wanted to be individual, not part of overbearing somewhat narcissistic personality of her husband. Actors are like children, they want to play, deep down inside looking for an approval from their parent figure - director, who is there to help them conceive their performance.
But in her performance Scarlett resents him for loosing interest in her although as they have opportunities to be with other people they are still connected in sense of belonging to one another.
Bottom line "Marriage Story" isn't a perfect movie by any means, but thanks to very good cast and smart writing as well as brilliant performances it elevates it beyond my expectation.
And yes Adam Driver will get Oscar nomination and perhaps Scarlett might steal one two.
***1/2 out of 5