Earlier this year, Netflix gave its users a colorful and at times horrifying look at a version of Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. It is divisive, has been criticized for its titular portrayal and now its director is blaming today’s culture for its received backlash.
A Deadline Hollywood article from earlier today features director Andrew Dominik discussing his piece at the Red Sea International Film Festival. He says he was surprised by the response at first — as he has often made acclaimed films no one has seen while in this case, it was the opposite — and much of the poor response in America was due to Blonde’s myth-shattering.
“We’re living at a time where it’s very important to present women as empowered, they want to reinvent Monroe as an empowered woman, that’s what they want to see. And if you’re not showing them that it upsets them. Americans don’t really like you to monkey with their myths. They very often want to jump to the solution without actually looking at any trauma.”
Dominik goes on to say the notion he exploited Monroe does not make sense as she is dead — her estate is owned by a company that manages scores of brands for those both living and dead, on a side note —and he was not hurt by criticism as he feels the film is great. It is still available to watch on Netflix and stars Ana de Armas. While her performance is acclaimed, many are criticizing Dominik online and are pointing out that aspects of Monroe’s life were forward, but she did get beaten down by others.
For now, the debate rages on. You can watch Blonde and decide for yourself, or, if the fictionalized portrayal of the acclaimed entertainer’s life is not to your liking, there are countless books, films, shows, and even a documentary about how she died.