To say that Malcolm & Marie is just a drama about a couple fighting with each other over the course of one night is a vast oversimplification. The layers to this film run deeper than the emotions of the title characters that play out on the screen and must be peeled back one at a time to truly understand its importance.

At its core, this is a film about a relationship, one that is tested by influences both internal and external. Malcolm (John David Washington) is an up and coming young film director who returns home after a film premier with his girlfriend Marie (Zendaya). He is on top of the world after receiving a number of accolades about his film, which focuses on the troubled life of a young girl addicted to drugs. While Malcolm is overjoyed about the reception, he is angry about the critical reaction, even before the reviews have been published. And to top it off, Marie is mad...about something.

​It has been said that art made within limitations often leads to better art and this couldn't be more true of Malcolm & Marie. Filmed entirely in one location during the summer of 2020 at the initial height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, it keeps things simple by letting the characters act and react on the screen before us. You won't find any quick camera moves here. There are no expensive special effects. The house itself is simple and the use of black and white as a medium is clearly intentional to keep the color textures simple, even though nothing in the content of the film is ever black and white.

The film itself is a roller coaster of emotion. Anyone who has ever been in a serious relationship likely knows many of the fights the pair have throughout the night and understands that the "initial problem" that starts the fight probably isn't the "actual problem." Both Zendaya and Washington have their moments to shine being equally raging and quiet, contemplative and emotional. They go from being sexy and intimate one moment, to screaming at each other and calling out terribly hurtful names the next. It feels real without being forced.

In the end, many people will see this as nothing more than a couple arguing on screen for two hours, but there is so much more to unpack here. In a world where nothing is certain, this feels like the most basic kind of uncertainty out there and one that everyone can relate to.

9 out of 10​​​​

Malcolm & Marie is available streaming exclusively on Netflix.

For people who love film, getting to hear from some of the biggest names in the business from the last 40-50 years comes with a special thrill. Usually those names include people like Spielberg, Lucas, Lynch, Redford, Nolan, or Coppola. While some of those names appear here, the real stars of the show are Burtt, Murch, and Rydstrom, with some help from Zimmer and Göransson.

Put simply, Making Waves is your 90-minute primer on sound in film. If you watch films today in a Dolby surround sound theater, you might not think of all the various steps it too to get from the few minutes of synchronized sound in 1927's The Jazz Singer to the multitrack feast for your ears in an Avengers or Star Wars film. Perhaps you don't even think about the sound at all, just letting the entire experience wash over you. Enter Making Waves. (For more on The Jazz Singer, check out my podcast episode about it.)

The film does an excellent job of setting the stage for why sound is important in film before diving into a detailed history of sound (or lack there of) in film, going all the way back to the 1870s. The three key players mentioned above (Ben Burtt, Walter Murch, and Gary Rydstrom) relate their experiences first hand from working with directors Francis Ford Coppola (Murch), George Lucas (Burtt), and John Lasseter (Rydstrom) on some of the biggest films of the last 50 years, some of which were highly underestimated.

Once the film completes a 30-minute history lesson on sound in film, it jumps back into what the interviewees dub the "circle of sound." This includes the dialogue, sound effects, and music, which, when mixed together form the soundtrack of the film.

As a lover of films and many of the directors mentioned and interviewed for the film, I was enthralled with the depth provided here. I also have to admit to being a bit surprised at the relative level of diversity displayed throughout with nearly as many women interviewed for the film as men, and a number of individuals from different ethnic backgrounds. Granted the three kingpins are all white men, but since Burtt was the only really well known name for me, I was pleased to see a variety of people working on some of my favorite films.

My only real critique with the film is that I wish it had been longer! I never missed an episode of the 90s Discovery Channel show Movie Magic which mainly dealt with visual effects, and I would gladly sit through a 25 minute weekly episode about sound in films. One could easily teach an entire 100-level university class on the subject of this film, and probably not even scratch the surface.

The film is a must-watch for anyone who considers themselves a true film buff and at just over an hour and a half, it won't eat too much into your list of other things to watch.

Making Waves is available on Amazon Prime.

9 out of 10​​