Movie review
January 29, 2021 · 106 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
A black-and-white romantic drama about filmmaker Malcolm and girlfriend Marie, who spend one night after his movie premiere locked in escalating arguments over credit, inspiration, and their toxic relationship. The core narrative engine is their personal reckoning, with long monologues on filmmaking and criticism. Identity themes appear visibly through Malcolm’s repeated attacks on critics who reduce Black art to racial politics and “woke” interpretations.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Malcolm & Marie.
Woke representation / casting
Black leads fit premise perfectly; no forced diversity or mismatch.
Woke political dialogue
Recurring monologues attack “woke” critics and forced racial/political readings of Black art.
Identity-driven story themes
Identity themes drive key arguments on race in art, muse exploitation, and relationship power dynamics.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Critiques critics’ identity-politics lens on filmmaking; no activist-style attacks on patriarchy or Western culture.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Production
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Backlash focused on authenticity of Black perspectives by white director; no notable “too woke” or forced agenda complaints.
Creator track record context
Sam Levinson’s Euphoria emphasizes identity and social issues; partial alignment here.
