This week, Netflix dropped the trailer for Blonde, a film that somewhat chronicles the fascinating and complex life of American icon Marilyn Monroe, played by Ana de Armas.
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Based on Joyce Carol Oates novel of the same name, Blonde aims to reimagine "the complicated life of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe." And because of the dark subject matter and depiction of sexual assault, it is the first Netflix-produced film rated NC-17.
And since the trailer dropped, Blonde has started facing backlash on Twitter.
"I think an NC-17 violent fantasy about Marilyn Monroe presenting itself as a biography, or even if it was upfront about being a fantasy is pretty appalling," film critic Grace Randolph tweeted.
I’m not covering #Blonde in any capacity I think an NC-17 violent fantasy about #MarilynMonroe presenting itself as a biography - or even if it was upfront about being a fantasy - is pretty appalling.
People emphasized that the film is problematic because it's based on a novel that reimagines Marilyn's life, as opposed to a film based on a proper biography:
REMINDER ‼️ blonde is heavily based on a FICTIONAL book about marilyn monroe that will go to feed the public more lies about her. this is NOT a biopic also, the nc-17 rating is just bc that man wants to, not bc it’s needed. it’s a way to sexualize her even more. https://t.co/ox21S2ObuC
@FilmUpdates Let Hollywood tell us how awful Hollywood treated this woman and how even when it's been decades since her death people are still profiting from her image. But sure, Ana De Armas looks amazing as MM and I'm sure ahea going to get nominated, which is the whole point of this movie
But overall, people took issue with the fact that between Kim Kardashian wearing and stretching her iconic dress at the Met Gala, and the countless films and media she's inspired, Marilyn has already been hyper-exploited:
@FilmUpdates This woman will never truly Rest In Peace. It’s not even a biopic, It’s a fictional story based on a (very bad!) disgusting fictional book about Marilyn.
@FilmUpdates Let Hollywood tell us how awful Hollywood treated this woman and how even when it's been decades since her death people are still profiting from her image. But sure, Ana De Armas looks amazing as MM and I'm sure ahea going to get nominated, which is the whole point of this movie
How much longer does Marilyn Monroe have to be dehumanized for people to finally leave her alone?
Blonde director, Andrew Dominik, hasn't responded to the backlash, but he did talk about the film's controversial nature in an interview with Screen Daily. “It’s a demanding movie. If the audience doesn’t like it, that’s the fucking audience’s problem," he said.
"It’s not running for public office. It’s an NC-17 movie about Marilyn Monroe, it’s kind of what you want, right? I want to go and see the NC-17 version of the Marilyn Monroe story.”
Well, there you have it. We'll keep you updated if anything else happens in this saga.
