A failed portrait of Marilyn Monroe?

Ever since the teaser for Andrew Dominik's "Blonde" was released, it received a lot of publicity. The film is based on a novel of the same name, and is a fictionalised take on the life and career of the American actress, Marilyn Monroe.

Ana de Armas received much love for her beautiful presence on screen as Monroe, and her acting was universally acclaimed.

When it was released at The Venice Film Festival on September 8, it received a 14-minute-long standing ovation. However, upon its Netflix release on September 28, it has received wide criticism from viewers and critics alike—for its problematic portrayal of Monroe's personal life.

The film depicts Monroe having two illegal abortions, despite there being no proof that she ever went through any such procedure. Her autopsy reports, and the testimonies of her close ones, confirm this lack of evidence. Yet, the movie portrays a scene where a foetus speaks to her, and begs her not to kill it. This angle, in particular, is what has been deemed as sexist and anti-abortionist by many.

Such misinformation that foetuses are as developed and well-formed as new born babies are what anti-abortionists use to traumatise women who choose abortion. Abortion rights activists point out that not only is it factually incorrect, it is especially condemnable—considering the current political climate of America, where women's bodily autonomy and rights to abortion are currently up for debate.

Depicting this on a film as highly publicised as "Blonde", will only contribute further to the spread of fear and misconceptions.

As a response to the backlash, the director Dominik claimed that this abortion issue is only now being highlighted because American women recently lost their abortion rights due to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. He stated that such scenes would not matter in any other time, and that no one is going to talk about it in a couple of years.

Primarily, the director tried to argue that the film is much more nuanced and complex, to ultimately denying the allegations of it being anti-abortion propaganda.

However, according to many critics, despite the film being based on a novel, the way it is presented to its viewers will deem it as a biographical piece.

The West constantly emphasises and preaches the need for progressive philosophies in the world—so much so, that they are ready to sever relationships with countries who will not share certain ideologies with them. However, it is ironic that they still have their own regressive views that they want to stand firmly behind.

Even in countries like India, who might be termed as 'regressive' by the US, people enjoy the right to safe and legal abortion services—regardless of one's marital status. This right was further reasserted through a landmark ruling last Thursday (September 29, 2022), where India's Supreme Court ruled that all women can obtain abortions up to 24 weeks into their pregnancies.

Previously, under India's abortion law, married women could have abortions up to 24 weeks into their pregnancies, while single women were limited to 20 weeks.

At a time when women are having to fight for to their bodily autonomy in the US. When women in Iran are revolting against the autocratic state and people, to have the right to the freedom of expression. And even we recently witnessed women having to protest for the same rights in Bangladesh, just a few months back.

At a time like this, it feels rather irresponsible that movies like "Blonde" glorify a woman, not for the beliefs and ideals she stood for, rather the parts of her that Hollywood can relate to.