One of the most touching and moving films of 2011; My Week with Marilyn is one of the most credible takes on the story of Hollywood's most prized starlet and the woman who hid behind it all.
The story starts out with Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) trying to get a job on a film set where Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) is planning on shooting a romantic comedy with none other than Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams). They start work on the film but Marilyn starts to display signs of anxious behavior, consulting with her acting coach about the smallest details in the script, prompting a delay in shooting. Marilyn's method of acting is bizarre and outlandish for Olivier and he begins to get frustrated with the amount of time Marilyn takes to prepare for a scene and the simple mistakes she makes while delivering her lines. Colin however, tries to encourage Marilyn to continue shooting and believes that she is able to shine in this film despite her current mental battle. She takes notice of his kindness and support, and their supposed affair begins. Colin is at first starstruck by her as we all tend to be, but soon comes to realize that she is a regular person who has a life story just like everybody else. What he isn't aware of is her true nature and how distorted and troubled she really is behind the gorgeous face and figure she happens to possess.
It's a quietly quaint British film, filled with neutral colors that made us look hard to find the substance in the lives of Marilyn and Colin. The shots that were used to film this once in a lifetime experience, captured the true essence of Marilyn to the breaking point and encompassed her from every direction just like all the people who laid an eye on her. The chemistry between Marilyn and Colin was very sweet and almost childlike, making us forget about her status as a superstar and see her as a woman who wanted to be loved and taken seriously by her colleagues. The score was mostly a muted murmur in the background and it really helped us to understand the characters without the overpowering effect of the music. Everything was centered around this magical period that spanned only a week, and the director clearly wanted the audience to see the true Marilyn and her struggles in life despite how beautiful, rich, and famous she was when you saw her on magazine covers and the silver screen. It was a truly a test to accept her as a real person without having that preconception at the back of your mind about her being the happiest girl in the world because of everything she had. At every moment you would find yourself doing a double take and wondering if this actually happened. Of course there is that touch of a fairy tale story blended in with the harsh reality of their relationship, but in the end you realize that she touched the lives of many people around her and gave others something to look up to despite it all being a finely tuned performance.
I think the purpose that this film served will clarify the truth about the myth of Marilyn. It will give people a trustworthy impression of the troubled soul that Marilyn really was, and will inspire others to fight for their dreams even through the hardships. Marilyn Monroe is the pinnacle of the many attributes she possessed and this revelation of a story will give people a chance to put that aside and pay their respects to the woman who gave every last piece of herself to the industry that eventually bruised her, yet the people who idolized her always had something pretty to look at. We are a shallow bunch when it comes to entertainment and the judgment of people.
Michelle Williams was absolutely stunning in her role as the blonde bombshell, and despite the daunting task of stepping into Marilyn's shoes, she managed to put her own twist to how Marilyn talked and her overall behavior because there wasn't a lot of private footage to really study her composure when there was no one looking. It was a delight to watch her become Marilyn and I admire her guts for taking such a risky step in solidifying her career, while at the same time developing a sincere connection with the audience through the character of Marilyn.
All eyes on Michelle from the beginning to the end, and her interpretation of Marilyn holds the same enchanting aura as Marilyn herself. An absolutely lovely and beautiful story told through the eyes of an ordinary young man who came to understand the state of fragility Marilyn had cast upon herself, and the human side of even the most celebrated figures in popular culture. Marilyn will never be forgotten and this jewel of a film will hopefully be another relic of her brilliance in the years to come.
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