Individual performance

Rating: 7/10 (4 January 2020)

Marriage story is a insightful and solicitous look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together. The plot is a pastiche of a modern day "Kramer v. Kramer". It has lots going for it including two very charismatic and convincing performances by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as a married couple, This is original filmmaking at its finest.

The core issue is that the breadwinner is Charlie and his wife Nicole wants to move from NY to LA to get a part in a show. Charlies elects to stay in NY and continue directing his successful broadway plays. Both parties here are selfish. Couples interactions are pure and honest but more importantly real, you don't get to take sides in their problem as well as they both make a good case and put forth good arguments to their difficulties, one other thing I noticed is that it invites you to understand but never forces you to accept it in any way, all of this comes together to describe or at least try to understand the intricacies of a loving marriage.
Marriage Story accurately exposes what actually goes on when couples turn to lawyers to help them with their divorce rather than go thru mediation. Kudos for exposing our circus of a legal system and the lawyers who are still practicing this archaic type of matrimonial law that wreaks destruction on parents, children and bank accounts.
Minus - The couple never actually asks the child what he's going through. Good movie.