Blog 3: Marriage Story

I watched Marriage Story directed by Noah Baumbach, which has gotten a lot of positive reviews this weekend. I chose to focus on the argument scene linked below in which Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) attempt to negotiate their divorce without their lawyers. The scene's movement mimics a dance, or a musical number which ties in with the main character's occupations, Nicole being an actress and Charlie being a theater director. The camera cuts between both characters as they move around the apartment, often being in separate rooms. The position of the actors is also indicative of their dynamic, Charlie starting off in the background on the couch, Nicole in the foreground standing thus making her taller than Charlie. The "dance" progresses as Charlie jumps up and leaves the room as the argument starts to heat up. The camera takes the role of an outsider, not necessarily following each character in the room but watching from a distance. This allows for the walls between them to be captured in the shots, creating a beautiful composition. As the dynamic changes throughout the argument, we get over the shoulder shots from different angles because of the character's height difference which ultimately creates a sense of helplessness for Nicole and paints Charlie as an aggressor. 



Marriage Story Argument Scene