'Marriage Story' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Actor; Adam Driver, Best Actress; Scarlett Johansson, Best Supporting Actress; Laura Dern, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Score.

Won: Best Supporting Actress; Laura Dern.

Synopsis: A stage director and his actor wife struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their extremes. An incisive and compassionate portrait of a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.

Runtime: 136 minutes

MPAA Rating: R (for language throughout and sexual references)

Who should see it? Teenagers and adults who are interested in emotional indie dramas.

Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story ranks among the filmmaker's most personal work. Earlier this decade, Baumbach experienced a divorce of his own, and I'm sure creating Marriage Story was his eventual catharsis. While I'm not married, I could at least relate to the onscreen heartbreak as a child of divorce. And in case it wasn't already apparent, you better have tissues ready because it packs an emotional wallop. However, I'd rather not reduce Marriage Story to the simple designation of "tear-jerker." There's surprisingly a proper dosage of humor to be discovered as well. Baumbach finds natural comedy amidst the tragedy, never forcing a joke for the sake of a laugh.

Aside from deftly handling contrasting tones, Baumbach strikes a delicate balance in presenting the perspective of both his leads. Baumbach has no interest in choosing a side or encouraging the audience to gravitate towards either corner. Instead, Baumbach depicts divorce as it is. A messy, complex disagreement between people who love one another. Both sides have valid concerns and interests in the details of their separation. Marriage Story feels especially authentic in that regard, as the couple begins on amicable terms, and animosity is encouraged by those surrounding them.

Baumbach's direction is subtle, but emotional beats are enhanced a thousandfold by the technical presentation. Everything from the blocking-to-Robbie Ryan's intimate cinematography channels the honest intensity of the piece. Notably, it's the work from editor Jennifer Lame and composer Randy Newman that hits the hardest. There are specific cuts, transitions, and motifs that will shatter your heart into a million pieces due to their symbolic connotations.

Sustaining the film's raw emotional core are first-rate performances from an incredible ensemble. Adam Driver is an actor who I've followed with intense interest since I was first introduced to him via Star Wars: The Force Awakens and this role is undoubtedly the apex of his career thus far. As Charlie, Driver's reserved introspection speaks volumes while his passionate outbursts gave me goosebumps. Opposite Driver, Scarlett Johansson also turns in one of the best performances of her career. She's three-for-three this year in my eyes. As Nicole, Johansson demonstrates a tenderness and ferocity in both the heartwarming and heartbreaking moments. The two really share a convincing connection to the extent that their history together is palpable. From the first frame, you'll believe they've been married for several years. Even though I knew their marriage was unsalvageable, I become very invested in their relationship throughout the runtime. To the extent that I suddenly began sobbing uncontrollably during one of their heated arguments. Even as an objective observer to a couple falling out of love, you find yourself concerned with the outcome.

It should go without saying, but the supporting cast is also exemplary. Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Ray Liotta portray three wildly different lawyers with a varied array of eccentric personalities, and each one leaves a distinct impression. Meanwhile, Azhy Robertson provides a poignant illustration of a kid lost in the shuffle of a decision outside his grasp. 

Deeply affecting and littered with profound messaging about the nature of love, Marriage Story is one of the year's best films that will move even the most steadfast soul. You'll laugh, and you'll cry, often at the same time. But it's the crushing realism with which Baumbach depicts the calamity of divorce that makes Marriage Story so memorable.

Film Assessment: A+