Double Feature 1: The Real DCU
Do you feel unfulfilled by the Tarantino-gore packed movies your boyfriend makes you watch on the weekends? Let us put you on to the Divorce Cinematic Universe! Come cry with us.
by William Ngaruiya
Divorce has been defined as the action of legally dissolving one’s marriage with your spouse. Now, I am not here to discuss the whole controversy of divorce because the universe knows how much I’ve argued this out in my family law term paper (this is another story for another day)- I want to tell you why movies about to divorce are the best things to happen to modern cinema! I do understand that the topic of divorce is a bit heavy for some people so I have tried to the best of my abilities to tackle the issues as properly and keenly as possible.
So with out further ado welcome to the real DCU: Divorce Cinematic Universe. This universe was a term Victoria and I found on some comment of a particular film and we have decided to expound on it. It was a matter of time before Hollywood decided to produce more movies about divorce. Such movies help those who have gone through divorce to feel that they are not alone, give them a good laugh and at the same time to help them get through tough times.
For Victoria and I, movies about divorce are an escape to a land full of amazing and well-written monologues topped off with superb acting (I may have cried to a few of these movies also- see? that’s how good they are). You could ask me what is my favourite Scarlett Johansson movie and I’ll definitely tell you it’s Marriage Story (2019). She acts her back off and honestly I love it!!!
Movies like Parent Trap in their own way do tackle the topic of divorce but it’s not the biggest factor. It’s mostly romanticized and Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson’s performance are to sweet and civil compared to the stark reality of divorce. For a movie to make it into our Divorce Cinematic Universe, it has to have a partly plausible script. The best part of a divorce movies to us is the intense dialogue, the dance of emotions and like in Marriage Story, bottled up emotions leading to screaming matches that feel cathartic for everyone watching. Additionally, there is also a moment when the couple realizes that even though they are no longer married, they will always be family because of their child. This resolution that usually happens in the last act is what makes a DCU movie great.
At this point in our DCU we have about three films (and I RANK them!) we can talk about but I’ll share a few movies that we have on our watchlist.
Marriage Story (2019) dir. Noah Baumbach
Summary: This stunning Academy Award nominated and winning film focuses on a stage director (Adam Driver) and his actor wife (Scarlett Johansson) struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal extremes. Available on Netflix.
Ok, there’s a lot I can say about Marriage Story. It took me two watches to appreciate the amazing writing that Noah, who is also the director, does to this movie. What I love most about this movie is how it shows how messy and complicated divorce is- you end up falling in love with the love of your life and then one day you end up in a divorce battle with them. That scared me properly into not marrying ever (I mean I’m only 20 but you get the gist of my argument)
It’s a story of a couple falling out of love and in love at the same time- you get to see how they got married in the first place and how they end up divorcing too. You will laugh, you will cry and you will be mad all in the span of two hours. THE ACTING IN THIS MOVIE!! The actors cast were so good, from Adam Driver to Laura Dern (who went on to win the Oscar for Best Actress In A Supporting Role for her role as Nora Fanshaw). Two-time Primetime Emmy Award Winner Merritt Wever SHINES in her role as Scarlett’s on-screen sister too. The way Noah directs it is well done too- I really really liked how he did the divorce proceedings scene. The soundtrack to the film is also amazing and I still listen to it to this day. I could fangirl about the monologues again but that’s no fun if you haven’t watched it- so get to it!!
Ratings: Victoria: 4/5 stars William: 4/5 stars
Kramer v Kramer (1979) dir. Robert Benton
Summary: Disinterested workaholic Ted (Dustin Hoffman) develops a special bond with his son, Billy (Justin Henry) after his wife Joanna (Meryl Streep) walks on them. However Joanna returns demanding full custody of their child.
Now let us talk about this masterpiece- which if you ask me is the blueprint for movies such as Marriage Story (2019). Now I love this movie so much because it has one of my favourite actresses of all time, Three-time Academy Award Winner Meryl Streep! Fun fact: This was her first Oscar win. The film ended up winning Best Picture at the Oscars too which is a big deal for a movie that isn’t a war film.
The beauty about this movie is that it shows how divorce affects the entire family including the child. In the movie, we see how much Billy is at the center of everything and the lengths his father will go to keep him. Well, let’s say that Mr. Kramer uses his white privilege for the good of keeping his son. Another thing I really enjoyed about this film is that the cause of Joanna leaving is not infidelity on Ted’s part or hers but it’s because she just didn’t love Ted anymore- which was first for me too see in any film.
I really do not want to say too much because I might end up giving up the plot of the movie but I’ll add one last thing- the acting is superb, the entire cast was phenomenal even young Justin Henry got a Best Actor in Supporting Role nomination at just eight years old!
Also, it has Meryl Streep- what more do you want?!
Ratings: Victoria: 4/5 stars William: 5/5 stars
1. A Separation (2011) dir. Asghar Farhadi
Summary: Nader (Payman Maadi) and Simin(Leila Hatami) a married couple, live in Iran with their daughter Termeh (Sarina Farhadi). Simin wants to move out of the country, but Nader is reluctant to do so as he wants to take care of his ailing father.
Let me make one thing clear: THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN. I have never been so engrossed with a movie like this even after watching Gone Girl- it’s a movie about a woman trying to get a divorce from her husband so she can go live in the US and at the same time it has a mystery to it. I don’t want to give up anymore so you can be properly addicted to the film. The opening scene of this film has to be one of my most favourite ones ever. It is so beautifully shot and being a foreign film it’s 1000 times better.
It is so beautifully written- I did not know such writing was even humanly possible- the emotions, the dramatic scenes, the mystery to it and the perfection of it all.
To show you how much I loved this movie- I was watching it with Victoria as we texted each other and I could not send her a text till I finished it. It broke me so many times- you’ll sympathize with all the characters and you’ll wish some choices weren’t made. A Separation (2011) makes the list to one our favourite films of the decade.
I wish to say no more than this, please watch it- it is your duty to do so and love it like I do
Ratings: Victoria: 5/5 stars William: 5/5 stars
DCU WATCHLIST
As promised:
Scenes From A Marriage (1974) dir. Ingmar Bergman
The Squid and The Whale (2005) dir. Noah Baumbach
Under The Tuscan Sun (2003) dir. Audrey Wells
Lost In Translation (2003) dir. Sofia Coppola
Thank you for reading! Please do tell us in the comments if you’ve watched any of the films I’ve mentioned or give us recommendations too!
The second installment of our double feature is already up and you can click here to read it.
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