The Relentless Victimization of Marilyn Monroe in "Blonde"
'Blonde' commits a relentless assault on the autonomy of Marilyn Monroe, reducing the icon to nothing more than a victim of the director's whims.

Forget pristine peaks and heroic descents under blue skies: here, powder snow sticks, storms rage, and laughter drowns out the wind. This is not your typical ski movie, but rather the wandering tale of two friends: Camille Armand, freeride icon, and Enzo Scotto, freestyle virtuoso, who set off on the roads of northern Norway. One on his snowboard, the other on his skis, both in pursuit of elusive snow, dodging gusts of wind and the established order. Accompanied by photographer Soren Rickards and filmmaker Alexis Vernis, they embark on a human-scale adventure: soaked bags, botched turns, endless jokes, and breathtaking landscapes. A film about friendship, the mountains as they are: beautiful, harsh, unpredictable; and those moments that cannot be planned, that are simply lived.
'Blonde' commits a relentless assault on the autonomy of Marilyn Monroe, reducing the icon to nothing more than a victim of the director's whims.
Everyone needs a BFF and a "wing person" like Yumi (Chloris Li). Li brings the "straight person" persona, literally and figuratively balancing James Aaron Oh's perfectly timed comedic delivery as the unlucky-in-love.
The “gay best friend”, an age-old trope, has been done in countless films and television series. Ranging from one-note (Sex and the City's Stanford and Mario) to nuanced (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Tituss), the gay best friend exists to support and advise the main protagonist, with their conflicts swept to the side.
"Peter Pan & Wendy" is a diverse fantasy brought to life and an adventure for all ages.
This fantasy musical movie is an origin story about the title character.
Overall, Matthias & Maxime doesn't reinvent this romantic concept. But it also doesn't need to. Dolan weaves a story of love, friendship, and life that is both realistic and bittersweet. The film is nuanced and sensual in a way we don't get to see often with LGBTQ characters. It's a film that we can celebrate.