MALCOLM & MARIE: 3 STARS
“Malcolm & Marie,” a two-hander starring Zendaya and John David Washington, now streaming on Netflix, is a pandemic movie. It was shot during lockdown, in one location under strict health protocols, but there’ is no mention of a virus or face masks. Instead, it crackles with anxiety, a feeling many are now all too familiar with.
Washington and Zendaya are the titular couple; an up-and-coming movie director and aspiring actress. Their romantic relationship is strained when he forgets to thank her from the stage during his new film’s premier. She’s not in the movie, but believes much of the story was borrowed from the more troubled moments of her life. It’s 1 a.m., tensions are running high as the gloves come off in an escalating power struggle.