Andrew Dominik’s directorial feature ‘Blonde‘ has been in the news ever since its trailer was released. Based on Joyce Carol Oates’s eponymous book, the film follows the life of yesteryear’s actress Marilyn Monroe (played by Ana De Armas). It was released on Netflix on September 28.
Ever since its release, the biographical drama has been on the receiving end of a lot of bad reviews. Several people, including prominent critics, have called the film “sexist“, “anti-abortion” and “one of the most detestable movies” ever made. Let’s find out the reason behind it.
Read More: Is Ana De Armas’ ‘Blonde’ Based On Real Life Events Of Marilyn Monroe?
Viewers Lash Out At Ana De Armas’ ‘Blonde’
Ana De Armas starrer ‘Blonde‘ tells the story of yesteryear actress Marilyn Monroe. Right after its release on Netflix, viewers, and critics slammed the biographical drama for its content.
Steph Herold, an abortion researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, slammed the film. She tweeted, “I had the extreme misfortune of watching ‘Blonde’ on Netflix last night and let me tell you that movie is so anti-abortion, so sexist, so exploitative.”
I had the extreme misfortune of watching Blonde on Netflix last night and let me tell you that movie is so anti-abortion, so sexist, so exploitative. CanNOT recommend it LESS. Do not watch. The abortion scenes in particular are terrible, but so is the whole entire movie.
— Steph Herold (@StephHerold) September 29, 2022
Another user took to Twitter to criticize the nature of the film. They wrote that the film “o “puts Norma/Marilyn in a box that only allows her to be abused, sexualized, or to call people daddy. Maybe we stop letting misogynistic men try to make groundbreaking films about women of which they know nothing about.”
just watched #Blonde … it puts norma/marilyn in a box that only allows to her be abused, sexualized, or call people daddy. extremely strange. maybe we stop letting misogynistic men try to make groundbreaking films about women- of which they know nothing about.
🥀 pic.twitter.com/0TwPw5l2sQ— jules (@sinceiveknownu) September 28, 2022
Justin Chang, a film critic for the Los Angeles Times, wrote in his review, “The film isn’t really about Marilyn Monroe. It’s about making her suffer.”
How Accurate Is ‘Blonde’ From Real Events?
‘Blonde‘ is based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, and just like the novel, the film is also a fictionalized take on Marilyn Monroe.
At the beginning of the film, Marilyn’s mother shows her a picture of Clark Gable who is her real father. Though it is true that Monroe initially thought Gable was her father, but rest of the stuff is fabricated.
The film also shows that she is in a polyamorous relationship with actors Charles Chaplin Jr. and Edward G. Robinson Jr. Their relationship ends after the studio intervenes in her personal life.
While Monroe had affairs with both actors on separate occasions, there is no evidence for the polyamorous relationship took place.
Read More: How Ana de Armas Transformed Into Marilyn Monroe For ‘Blonde’
