Marriage Story: Divorce Sucks

My main takeaway after watching Marriage Story is that this movie makes my heart hurt. I'm also very glad it is on Netflix because I definitely needed a break halfway through to pause and recover from the onslaught of emotional turmoil. It's a brilliant movie, but boy does it take a lot out of you.

This is a movie about a couple getting a divorce. However, you cannot tell a complete story about a divorce without first getting into the story of their marriage. Over the course of two hours, you learn about how Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) met, why they fell in love, what mistakes were made, and why they are now getting a divorce. It is messy and complicated, made all the more messy by the custody challenges over their eight-year-old son, and the introduction of rapacious lawyers (deliciously played by Laura Dern and Ray Liotta) who will engage in any amount of mudslinging to ensure a bigger payout for their client. Nicole and Charlie are decent people, but their relationship couldn't stand the test of time, and watching it unravel on screen is incredibly painful.

The performances are sublime. Johansson and Driver give it their all - Driver in particular is delivering a performance I wasn't quite expecting - and the movie excels in the long scenes where the two of them stop dancing around and just lay into each other about why their marriage has fallen apart. It is raw, gutting stuff, and full kudos are due to writer-director Noah Baumbach who drew inspiration from his own divorce and that of his parents. In recent weeks, many reviews of this film have focused on people taking sides to determine if Nicole or Charlie is more at fault for the dissolution of the marriage. As far as I'm concerned, Baumbach plays it straight down the middle, assigning blame to no one, but making it clear that each party had a role to play in how things ended up.

This movie is also a harrowing look at what goes into a divorce. The legal ramifications, the endless hoops you have to jump through, trying to protect your child in the middle of it all. There is so much bureaucracy in the midst of all the agony and it legitimately seems like one of the worst experiences a person can go through. Perhaps what makes it so hard in this case is that both parties still love and respect each other - they just can't be married anymore. When there's rancor and bitterness, it's easier to cut your losses and move on, but there's nothing easy about this particular couple's situation.

Marriage Story is a significant awards contender this year and for all the right reasons. The script is searing and impeccable, the actors deliver gut-punching performances, and the overall movie stirs you up inside and won't let you settle down. That probably doesn't sound ideal for light weekend fare, but if you're looking for a movie that will break your heart just a little bit, go right ahead.