Blonde seemingly came and went this award season. The Ana de Armas-led Marilyn Monroe movie was a controversial film upon release by Netflix, and the reaction quickly fizzled out any chances Blonde had at the major awards.
The filmmaker behind the piece, Andrew Dominik, now explored his feelings on the reaction to Blonde. During an In-Conversation event at the Red Sea International Film Festival, Dominik broke down what he thought would happen and how he was surprisingly wrong.
“I was expecting critical success and then that no one would see the film. That’s what I’m kind of used to, films that have a positive critical reaction, and then people don’t see it. Blonde was kind of the opposite, at least in America. America was where it was worst. They hated the movie. They were angry about the film. They were outraged by the film, but a lot of people saw it, so I was kind of surprised by it.”
Adding to the American backlash, he also notes that he changed what many felt was the proper way to tell the Marilyn Monroe story. “We’re living at a time where it’s very important to present women as empowered, and they want to reinvent Marilyn Monroe as an empowered woman, you know, that’s what they want to see,” he continued. And if you’re not showing them that then it upsets them. Americans don’t really like you to monkey with their myths too much. They very often want to jump to the solution without actually looking at any of the trauma.”
Not surprisingly, the filmmaker said he wouldn’t let any criticism get to him, adding: “Criticism only hurts if you agree with it. And I didn’t really agree with any of it. I think the film is great. You can’t really do other people’s thinking for them, but I think when it comes to an iconic American, what they want is hagiographies, they want the celebration of that person, and a celebration of that person according to the mores of the time.”
SEE ALSO: Based on a ‘True Story’: Blonde and the Fallacy of Historical Accuracy in Fiction
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Based on the bestselling novel by Joyce Carol Oates, Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe. From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.
Written and directed by Andrew Dominik, Blonde sees Ana de Armas leading a cast that includes Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel, and Evan Williams.
Blonde is available to stream now on Netflix.
