kat’s review published on Letterboxd:
“The film responds to the shriveling of the aura with an artificial build-up of the “personality” outside the studio. The cult of the movie star, fostered by the money of the film industry, preserves not the unique aura of the person but the “spell of the personality,” the phony spell of a commodity” - Walter Benjamin
People on here keep talking about disrespect and exploitation of Marilyn Monroe. The entire point is that Marilyn Monroe doesn’t exist. She was a creation by a studio who wanted to commodify women and sexuality. She was never able to be herself. Criticizing this movie as being not faithful to the character she was forced to play is whats actually disrespectful.
On this note, I wish it went further into parts of the book. I wanted to see the Norma section when she “finds” this secret version of herself. I think it could’ve been more flushed out in the earlier parts.
Is it perfect? No. Is it a damning and horrible depiction? Also no. For the first time, it lets her be a messy, hurt, and angry woman. It lets Hollywood take the blame for letting men (and audiences) be voyeuristic and cruel.
