Possible spoilers ahead, actually no, there are DEFINITELY spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t seen Marriage Story and don’t want it spoiled, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

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So! After a lovely day out with daughter number three in Coventry to catch up with her online pal/pen pal and do a little Xmas shopping, I came home and had plans to go and see Gremlins in the cinema.
I was really looking forward to it too, unfortunately, the hubby got a call out for work and we had to miss it.
I didn’t really fancy going on my own, and as his ticket was acquired with his Cineworld card I couldn’t offer to take someone else with me.

So! The decision was made to settle myself down on the sofa and watch Marriage Story that had just been released onto Netflix.

What a good choice it was too!

The film is stunning.
Beautifully acted by all throughout, with stand out performances by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johannson.
It is funny, sombre, heart wrenching, gut punching, I could go on and on.

Adam delivers what is quite possibly his best performance to date, and that’s saying something considering some of his previous performances in Blackkklansman, Hungry hearts, Silence, The Report, etc.

The relationship is already over at the start of the movie, the separation has begun and arrangements have been ‘discussed’. Charlie and Nicole are giving mediation a go, to try and avoid getting lawyers involved.
There is clearly still love between the two but their lives have now diverged and they both want different things, but they have a son to think about.
Mediation does not work.

The couple live in New York but Nicole goes back to her Mom’s in LA for what Charlie thinks is a temporary visit while the separation is sorted out.
Charlie is then flummoxed by the unfolding events. He’s caught out by the tactics of his wife’s lawyer and spends his time trying to catch up.

The rest of the film takes you through a roller coaster of emotions until Charlie finally comes to realise that things are finished. It’s time to move on and that he and Nicole need to just carry on with their lives and take care of their son in the process.
The moment of realisation for Charlie is just before the end of the film when he is back in New York. He’s out with some friends and colleagues and is trying to recount what the last year has been like during divorce proceedings. They are in a karaoke bar and Charlie is a little frustrated that he’s not explaining himself properly and out of the blue he gets up and sings Sondheim’s ‘Being Alive’. As the song progresses you can see the realisation and ultimate acceptance of the situation in Charlie’s emotions and Adam Deliver’s it perfectly!

Now! Speaking of Adam Driver’s performance, it’s getting lots of buzz at the moment.

Marriage Story itself has already picked up two best feature wins at The Independent Spirit Awards and Gotham Independent Film Awards. It has also received a win for best screenplay and is getting nominated left, right and centre for Best feature, Best screenplay, Best Director, Best Actor.
The Atlanta Film Critic’s Awards and the Gotham Independent Film Awards have already given Adam the Best Actor award.

Everywhere you look online. the film is being praised and quite literally being gushed over.

There are two scenes that stand out in my mind.
The first is this one, set in Charlie’s apartment as he and Nicole try to talk things through.

The who;e scene is about 10 minutes long and starts off amicably, however, as the scene progresses, it slowly becomes more and more volatile until the most hateful things are screamed at each other in the heat of the moment and Charlie quite literally breaks down after realising what he’s just said.

The second scene is this one.

This is the scene that ‘literally’ broke me and had me crying.
To set the scene…. at the beginning of the movie in the mediation, Nicole and Charlie are asked to write down what made them fall in love with the other originally. They are asked to read them to each other but Nicole refuses.
In the penultimate scene of the movie, Charlie finds his son trying to read something and goes to help him. He discovers it’s what Nicole had written about him for that mediation session, and as he reads through it with his son he becomes overwhelmed and is oblivious to the fact that Nicole is standing in the doorway listening.

Holy crap! The slap my heart received had me blubbing like a baby!!

Throughout the whole film, Adam’s performance is just incredible.
We are heading into big awards season, with the first of the big ones, The Golden Globes, announcing their nominations this coming Monday.

All the buzz at the moment see’s Marriage Story getting nominations for Best Drama, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score.

SO! I have everything crossed. Next year could be another big year for Adam. After an Oscar nomination earlier this year for Blackkklansman, dare I say, it could be a win next year for Marriage Story.

Only time will tell.