If you love me, let me go. From the outside, Nicole and Charlie’s marriage seems perfect: he’s a theater director whose production will soon go to Broadway, and she’s his main actress who helped achieve such success. What could be wrong with these two perfect people? And not so, as it turned out, there can be a lot: for example, Nicole, sacrificing herself for the talent of her husband, completely dissolved in him and desperately wants to be someone, and Charlie, not giving due to her interests, continues to be immersed in work, even forgetting to devote time to her own son. But this, in fact, is only the tip of the iceberg, since Noah Baumbak in his picture outlines three-dimensional portraits of two complex people with complex relationships filled with love and sad understanding of the impossibility of being together. Beginning the tape with a magnificent emotional scene of sincere love from small things, Noah gradually destroys the viewer's idea of the ideal couple, demonstrating their spiritual discord more clearly, time after time making it clear that they are not destined to be together, despite all living affection. Of course, during the viewing, I want to believe that the characters will correct what is incorrigible, but 'Marriage story' - not romcom. 'Marriage story' - a harsh and touching story about divorce.
'Marriage Story' it is striking how much Baumbak managed to openly and honestly convey all the components of such an event, which, due to breathing vitality and sincerity, even people will be able to feel that they have never gone through a divorce. A similar story of the collapse of the marriage he told earlier in 'Squid and Keith'. However, if that tape was a story about children experiencing the end of a relationship between two angry parents, then this tape is a story about adults and only about them, although the child is at the center of all pressing issues. In 'Squid and Keith' clearly loomed toxic influence of the father in the performance of Jeff Daniels on everyone around, so it was quite simple to take the side of the mother in history. Here Baumbak deprives the viewer of such unambiguity: there are no negative characters, there is no one who could not be understood. The audience plunges into the anguish of Charlie and Nicole, seeing how much they both love their son and how much they do not want to stop being real parents. Of course, they still love each other, but this love sinks behind the realization of the incompatibility of their life together. As a result, torn between empathy for both characters to the very end, it is not possible for oneself to decide how (or rather, how correctly) this story should end, in which there are no right and wrong, and in which there are only living people with their problems and their complex feelings.
This, of course, will not agree with the lawyers, which during the divorce resort to the main characters. Baumbak, behind all the subtle complexity of human relationships, also vividly depicts the divorce process itself from a legal point of view, which repels and frightens even more of the strongest quarrels. A process where there is only one truth, each side has its own. The saddest thing is that without lawyers to solve their problems, the characters simply can not, they do not have such an opportunity, because no one can give in, as they would not talk about it. Unresolvable contradictions become quite simple for local sharks of legal law, where everything is quite easy: their client must win at any cost. (Especially stunning in the role of a cynical lawyer charming Laura Dern.) While the characters are silent, reflecting on their past and mentally ashamed of themselves, lawyers will have time to turn even the most mundane things into crimes of a global scale and have time to decide how much money to take. Therefore, it is quite clear that in this judicial history there will definitely be a loser who will have to concede, but the winner will not receive satisfaction, because from the legal point of view, perhaps, there are indeed losers and winners, but from the point of view of life - hardly.
The most striking thing about 'Marriage Story' as already noted, is the multilayered relationship and the very characters of the two main characters. Without a doubt, this is a great merit of Noah Baumbak, a subtle and understanding author, but no less great merit lies on the shoulders of two incredibly talented actors in the leading roles. 'Marriage Story' perhaps the pinnacle of Adam Driver's work and Scarlett Johansson, revealing the entire spectrum of emotionality so strongly and so brightly that they, of course, together with Baumbak, manage to destroy the beholder several times and have time to collect it again. It’s hard to pinpoint a specific moment in which each of them reveals something impossible, as in each episode they remain Charlie and Nicole with their pain, but, according to sensations, the most impressive quarrel between the two characters in Charlie’s apartment is a surprisingly scary scene in its emotionality, leaving in tears and silence. All 'Marriage story' perceived as a painful and disarming blow that squeezed out of you all that was possible, but most valuable, did not leave you with anything.
With all the heavy emotional background of the story, Baumbak amazingly finds a place for humor in it even in the most difficult moments: what is the episode with a driver and a knife - both dramatic and at the same time really funny? Even in the most difficult moments Noah, knocking down does not leave the viewer without support and does not allow him to fall - instead, he keeps him afloat, allowing him to move on as well as his characters. Most understandably, this becomes in the life-affirming finale, where Baumbak gives you a breath and a warm smile. It is not a smile of happiness or laughter, but a smile of peace at the realization that this complex life continues to move and that it is not yet over. Throughout all the quarrels Baumbak does not allow you to disappear from the story of the same love that lives in Charlie and Nicole: it will appear in the same as in the opening scene, small things, whether it is the chosen dish or tied laces. Despite all the rude words, they will still love each other. Despite the divided future, they will clearly worry about each other. Despite what happened, they will both be real parents to their son. Unfortunately, life will never be as simple as we would like, and, unfortunately, love will often not be so simple. Maybe if they did something else, Charlie and Nicole would have stayed together. Maybe it could have gone differently, but it didn’t. Therefore, here and now, in order to, as the hero of the Driver , being alive soothing is necessary and clear: if you love, let go.