Perfect date movie, so I can help convince my date to never get fucking married. Holy shit, this is the most stressful event in a persons life (and the most stressful film all year!)

Brilliant camera work and framing from Baumbach. (I’d only ever seen Frances Ha but I’ve definitely been missing out on his filmography.)The characters have choreography that really shapes this direction. In such a way that it never feels like the director is dictating the scene, it feels like the actions and interactions onscreen dictate the direction. Something I noticed in Frances Ha was it felt like he had a lack of control behind the camera, but I see now that Noah approaches as an observer rather than a dictator. Which really gives room for the rest of the piece to be taken as a whole. It always feels sensitive and inclusive to what the characters are going through too. Very soft lighting helps soften the light-hearted moments. The editing process in this film is quick but it’s always natural. Whenever a shot lingers, it’s meaning and emphasis do too. Everything is technical and precise here, which begins to manifest upon itself in the narrative.

One of the best roles of both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. Drivers one man performance sequence is some of my favorite acting this year! Same with Johansson’s initial conversation with her lawyer. That’s the kind of material that’ll get you nominated right there! Both characters had me reeling and rooting for each other and almost against the other. Gladly the film never made you feel like there was a villainous one out of the two. Just that divorce is an ugly sport. Laura Dern’s is a fucking powerhouse here too! What a performance! Her character absolutely starts this character war we get to experience. And we hate and love her for it! (Mostly love) The rest of the day is killer, but I don’t want to ramble too much.

One of the most tense films of the year and it’s just about the divorce process. There’s always some brilliant emotion manipulation at play. I mean it jumps from cute moments to suddenly daunting emotion moments like no other. This film seriously goes from shifts like a friendly hug to just relentless gut punches. It has me feeling awkward and even anxious all the runtime. Every piece of dialogue and transaction comes off as eventual damage. Soon you’re spending most of the time hanging off of characters slight missteps and speculating maddeningly as to the others eventual play. The exact nature of the relationship alone sets it up for a great dynamic to explore. I’d say if you could experience just one character study this year, this would be a safe bet.

Whimsical score work adds a lighter tone to the softer and happier moments in this story. It makes you appreciate and hold on to them. The story still is no stranger to silence. As soon as any tension seemed to strike, we were basking and relishing in between ever word or sound.

Seriously Marriage Story fucked me up, but damn do I seriously love it. I don’t know who I root for in the end and I don’t really care. Divorce is messy, even with friendly people.