Marilyn Monroe is perhaps the most distinctive female sexual icon of the 20th century. Countless biographies have been written about her, movies have been filmed, actions, costumes and other aspects of her have been imitated and parodied. Around her figure there are usually a couple of main topics to be discussed: her value as an icon of liberation and a sexual symbol where her beauty is also addressed, the conflict she experienced trying to break away or change the perception of her and what is involved his state excites and he dies; Theories about whether she was an accidental death, a suicide or a murder continue alike. “Blonde” or “Blonde”, the title of Andrew Dominik’s film, is based on the fictionalized biography of Joyce Carol Oates. It premiered at the Venice Festival to 14 minutes of applause. Criticism has been divided against her on the meta site Rotten Tomatoes and social networks have not been indifferent either.
Public and critical comment has come mainly from the way “Blonde” exposes Monroe. The film begins with her in her childhood, with a schizophrenic mother and then at the mercy of an orphanage. She quickly passed into adulthood and continued with her beginnings as a model, her arrival in Hollywood, her marriages and from there until her death. The first thing to understand is that more than a movie about Marlyn Monroe, it is about Norma Jean. Aspects of her career are shown, of course, but they are not the main focus. Norma’s search, established from the first minutes, is for her father who becomes a metaphor for the search for identity, belonging and affection. A fight against abandonment.
The film has been questioned a lot about why it repeatedly shows the insult towards Norma (Do you know how to read? They ask her on a couple of occasions and that it is actually a way of asking her if she thinks), the harassment, sexual abuse and the objectification to which it was subjected. Wow, it was a sexual symbol that is not so far away or that is sometimes referred to as a synonym for sexual objective. And that’s part of the crux. Andrew Dominik has said that his interest in the Monroe story was to explore what lay behind one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century, a figure coveted by men, but equally used and abused. For women, a representation of sexual openness.
“Blonde” is explicit in some moments, painful in others and also, why not say it, a showcase in others. Ana de Armas, the actress who plays Norma Jean / Marilyn has been praised for her work because beyond the physical resemblance that is achieved with the characterization, there are the details with which she covers her interpretation that expresses precisely the needs and desires of a woman that she was left without a family in childhood, that she was adopted by Hollywood and that everyone who thought she had found a safe place realized that it was not so. For example, in her second marriage she suffered physical, verbal and psychological violence. It is not pleasant to see and it is not pleasant to realize that behind that figure of great sympathy, charisma and beauty, there is all that pain and degradation.
“Blonde” has been recognized for its production values and for the work of Ana de Armas, who is already seen as a solid contender during awards season and, especially, for the Oscar. “Blonde” is condemned for exposing the other side of the coin, the one that has been talked about, but has not been seen like this before. And it is that unlike the vast majority of biopics where the genius or what distinguished the character in question or their logos is highlighted, in “Blonde” the opposite is shown, in a time where stories of empowerment stand out. And that is the question, that is Dominik’s interest, to focus on what was behind the scenes. The film does not take away the luster of the icon that is Marilyn Monroe, it focuses on Norma Jean and through her on the film industry and, even more so, on society itself. The prison in which Norma Jean was put or was put was possible because of the social fabric that existed. “Blonde” lights it up and shows it off.
“Blonde” removes Monroe’s peroxide and with it focuses in a different way than Norma Jean, to society. It is, if the reference is valid, a story not so different from that of “Joker”, only that in it the character is not from fiction and what leads her to a fall is even more complex, painful and revealing. For now, the film is in the conversation, it will focus on those involved, on its inspiration, but hopefully it will also do so, beyond the controversy, on the right topics.