Review: Marriage Story

Sigh. Tears. A lot more sighs. You will get used to a lot of these while watching director Noah Baumbach's "Marriage Story". The movie stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, along with some strong performances from a stunning supporting cast including Laura Dern, Ray Liotta and Alan Alda. 

Marriage Story is the story about a couple whose marriage is at stake for several reasons. Charlie Barber, who is a respected theatre director in New York and his wife Nicole Barber, who was a former teen movie star and currently working as an actress in Charlie's plays. As the couple remarks upon those reasons which had put their marriage at stake, we might feel that some are valid where as some are just "reasons". We wonder why they cannot see what we can see? When it is too obvious! But, that's the way each break ups will eventually come down to. We tend to unsee things. We tend to see and think only the things we want to, while conveniently skipping the view from the other side. In turn, we tend to paint the other one, selfish and self-consumed, while ironically enough, through that same action we turn ourselves into one. That is the significance of "Marriage Story". It tries to show us, let us hear the story from both sides without ever forcing us to pick a side, as usually these stories do. It is a straight reflection on how most of the failure of marriage or a relationship works, and how it affects the people who are going through it. It is amazing that, as a person I have always seen a divorce or failure of marriage through the eyes of the people associated with it, such as children and close relatives and this movie has dawned a new perception of it, on me. To see the whole procedure as an adult, or from the point of view of the couples who are going through it.

The movie starts with a couple of voiced over montages where both Charlie and Nicole writing down or reading in their mind, what they wrote, about the qualities they like or they have noticed in each other over the years. At first, it sounds like they are the perfect couple and will make us think that though there could be space for some tweaks, they must have an almost perfect marriage, only to thwart all those thoughts from us to show the couple sitting in a room in front of a mediator to finalize their sought out divorce. It is, at times, heartbreaking to watch how, when two people who are/were clearly in love fall out with each other while still caring for each other at some part in their hearts.

Both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson has been brilliant in portraying all the emotions of a normal couple going through the complexities of life and they both deserve to get the academy award nomination, the least, for their respective characters. Laura Dern has raised her acting to another level in the past few years and it is of no difference in this one too, as she continues to impress us each time she comes up on the screen.

A modern day Woody Allen-esque drama, as I would like to call it. This one is the best family  drama of the year and probably the best, in the recent years. Kudos to Noah Baumbach for giving us a relatable, humane story with such artistry and perfection. 

If you ever had a relationship, ever had a family, ever had a friend or family member going through a break up, or in short if you are a human with compassion and feelings, witnessed life as it is, this movie is for you. 

A deep sigh!