‘Blonde’ no longer in Netflix’s US top 10 chart
Andrew Dominik’s highly controversial Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde has dropped out of Netflix’s top ten chart in the US. Starring Ana de Armas as the iconic Hollywood star, the film divided critics and audiences alike when it was released on September 28th.
The film reigned for three days, but now the current number one movie on the streaming service is the Mila Kunis thriller Luckiest Girl Alive. Blonde, based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, has been criticised for being “exploitative”, painting Monroe as nothing more than a helpless, suicidal victim. It also recieved an NC-17 rating due to its explicit scenes of sex and nudity, which many viewers have declared as objectifying.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe. From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.”
Critic Christina Newland bashed the film, describing it as “a wound” and “another chink in Marilyn’s glossy armour.” However, others, such as Mark Kermode, praised the film, calling it a “gothic melodrama, a fever dream of childhood trauma haunting adult life.”
Blonde was soundtracked by Australian musicians Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, who have frequently collaborated with director Dominik. Cave recently declared the film to be his all-time favourite.
