A Piece of Earth That’s Mine: Analyzing Feminism through Marriage Story
By Hope Abel
Initially, Noah Baumbach's 2019 film Marriage Story appears to portray a divorce that is: nuanced, witty, laugh-one-minute-cry-the-next-type poignant. Upon deeper inspection, the film is progressive through its interpretation of gender. Marriage Story furthers feminist ideals by depicting an unraveling of marriage by using the male gaze inside and outside the narrative. The film is successfully relatable due to the specificity of its two leads; however, when both characters are viewed as a cultural representation of their respective genders. Nicole's (Scarlett Johansson) achievement of happiness post-separation from Charlie (Adam Driver) is a triumph of female independence. Marriage Story stands as a cornerstone for new gender film as it evaluates traditional gender roles within a contemporary context. Ultimately, the film promotes a feminist story through the eyes of both a male protagonist and a male filmmaker in writer/director Noah Baumbach; rather than using it for its typical voyeuristic form, Marriage Story uses the male gaze to attack the world view it represents.
Marriage Story culturally fits into the conversation of gender representation through its use of binary distinctions in its lead characters. The film stars Johansson as wife Nicole and Driver as husband Charlie, and both actors were lauded heavily for their heartbreaking performances. When evaluating the film as a cultural representation, both characters become nearly synonymous with the film's commentary on men, women, and their relationships. Marriage Story is centered on the divorce of its two leads, so the narrative, in its most basic form, works to pit both characters against each other, thereby putting male and female ideals into conflict. Charlie is a prominent director in the New York theater scene, and he wins a MacArthur Genius Grant for his work. He represents the "male genius" trope as he constantly puts the theater company's needs above anything else. Notably, this includes denying his wife of her creativity. Nicole, then, is an actress within the theater troupe, yet she dreams of directing for herself. Their primary argument as a couple in their divorce is geographically based as Charlie insists they are a "New York family."
At the same time, Nicole yearns to return to her hometown of Los Angeles (Marriage Story). While their main point of contention is surrounding location, it quickly becomes clear that the faults in their relationship are far deeper rooted as Nicole feels unheard by Charlie, who is "wrapped up in his cushy, bohemian life" (Gleiberman). The narrative naturally forces the audience to choose a side by presenting two distinct characters in opposition. The film encourages the audience to sympathize more through Charlie's perspective of the divorce. Still, it supports Nicole's side of the relationship in the end as she is the one able to achieve independence, success, and happiness following all of the courtroom drama. While both made plenty of mistakes, the trial result illustrates how Charlie's way of thinking was ultimately the fatal flaw. He refuses to leave his male genius and self-centered ideology behind at every turn. Baumbach pursues more of Charlie's outlook "only to portray it as the one Charlie has to wake up from. If he'd woken up before, he might still be married. He thought he was the sun, the center of the solar system. But now he's starting his life on just another planet. At least he's finally in orbit" (Gleiberman). In this way, the film's pitting of the genders against each other works towards a feminist goal in a gentle manner through its depiction of Nicole's happiness following the separation, even though the film focuses on Charlie narratively. Marriage Story works to pit a wife and husband against each other, placing them on opposing sides, reinforcing the gender binary. Nicole's ultimate success represents not just a singular achievement but a progressive triumph of female empowerment.
However, the film perceives this success through a male-dominated lens as Charlie becomes the main sympathetic protagonist for most of the plot. Marriage Story plays with the concept of the male gaze on many levels. Firstly, Charlie's role as a director and Nicole's as an actress creates an inherently imbalanced power dynamic. Near the movie's exposition, Charlie gives Nicole notes despite it being her final performance in their play. As she "exit[s] the room, her radiant smile crumpling into a mask of pain, the scene becomes emblematic of the characters' marriage and its fault lines, with the wife permanently cast as a performer under her director-husband's critical eye, both on and off the stage" (Zagha). In this way, Nicole's aspiration of becoming a director takes on a greater significance as she wants to be in control of her narrative and be liberated from Charlie's artistic judgment. Nicole, as a character, feels stifled by the male gaze of her husband, which ultimately proves to be the last straw in their relationship.
The film Marriage Story emphasizes Charlie's perspective, which utilizes the male gaze in the form of the film. While there is an initial monologue from Nicole explaining her desire for divorce, her early appeal is overshadowed by Charlie's reaction. Blind-sided by the divorce notice, Charlie's emotional response enables the movie to shift sympathies. The film is a series of over-the-shoulder shots and phone calls focusing on Charlie trying to balance the impending divorce with his Broadway show which closes quickly due to his inability to travel constantly between Los Angeles and New York. Charlie is a "shaded portrait of a man slowly starting to reckon with the eclipsing effect he's had on the most important person in his life" (Frosch). His success in the theater realm is what constantly blinded him to his wife's frustrations, so only when he is forced to take a step back does he begin to change his outlook, shown by his acceptance of a job at UCLA in the film's conclusion. Regardless, Marriage Story maintains nuance and near equality between its leads precisely due to its heavy focus on Charlie's perspective. This allows the audience to have empathy for his worldview while at the same time acknowledging that it is a problem. The film's proper use of Charlie's male genius point of view then highlights the narrative tensions between the two characters as it mirrors how little Nicole is heard both within the story and within the telling of it.
Another aspect of the film that contributes to the perpetuation of the male gaze is added when understanding that the film was written and directed by Noah Baumbach. Hence, another man is in control of creating the narrative. Baumbach is no stranger to making films centered around divorce, as his The Squid and the Whale (2005) was loosely inspired by his parent's divorce, depicting the effect of the event on the children (Zagha). Inspired by his divorce from actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, the film Marriage Story shifts perspectives on the effect of divorce on the couple/parents (Frosch). The semi-autobiographical nature of this film helps Baumbach relate to the divorce experience, and it further clouds his understanding of the female character's helplessness in telling her own story. Within the film, Nicole can achieve her directing dreams as she is nominated for an Emmy, and her 'winning' of the divorce/custody battle also alludes to her victory in getting to dictate her narrative. Baumbach was rightful, praised in his ability to portray the nuances and subtleties of a couple falling out of marriage, though not necessarily falling out of love. Along with the director of photography, Robbie Ryan, Baumbach "employs a supple visual style, interspersing close-ups that capture subtle shifts in his actors' faces with wider angles that draw attention to the physical distance between Charlie and Nicole, as well as their movements and body language around each other" (Frosch). However, though Baumbach can produce an extraordinarily nuanced and almost evenly matched depiction of divorce from both sides, his own experiences as a man invariably lead to his filmmaking containing the male gaze.
Due to the multi-layered nature of the male gaze both in and surrounding Marriage Story, feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey's seminal ideas regarding filmmaking concerning the male gaze apply. Mulvey argues that alternative cinema must be created in the interest of feminism because of the male gaze and scopophilia-related influences inherent in all aspects of film production. Though the male gaze is heavily presented throughout Marriage Story, the purpose is significantly different from the voyeurism projected by Mulvey. However, the film uses its depiction of the male gaze to reflect on the power dynamic it creates. The film is made by a man about a man who is going through a divorce with his wife largely because of his inability to hear her—or in other words, his failure to realize that she wanted "a piece of Earth that's [hers]" (Marriage Story). While, at first glance, this construction of the movie seems problematic, Nicole's triumph in achieving happiness as an independent woman, as well as the success when she gets control of the narrative (shown through her promotion from actor to director), ultimately goes to show that the film sides with her when pitted between the two gender binaries. The construction of the film, then, becomes not a hindrance to its feminist interpretation but an aid in showing how the male gaze affects their relationship. Marriage Story, both within the picture and outside of it, serves to highlight the influence of the male gaze not only in Hollywood but on any relationships in conversation with gender. It uses the male gaze not for a voyeuristic purpose but rather to bring the often ignored gender-based power dynamic to the forefront, thereby using the male gaze in an effort for its destruction—or at least a commentary on gender-based judgment inherent in the American film industry and overall society.
Marriage Story also highlights its connection to viewership and the male gaze through its constant references to and motifs of performance. The film "hinges on [Baumbach] 's recurrent theme: the discrepancy between how people want to be seen, how they are actually perceived, and who they are" (Zagha). Both Nicole and Charlie's professions of acting and directing are significant to their inciting argument surrounding the location of their family. The film constantly balances the characters' performances on the stage/screen with their performances of happiness or professionalism towards each other, and one of the most memorable scenes comes when Nicole and Charlie scream at each other as all of their walls and pretenses come crashing down. Shortly after, "with custody of Henry (Azhy Robertson) at stake, Charlie finds himself having to 'perform' a convincing version of family dinner, in a rented flat that feels like an unfinished set, while being silently observed and assessed by a not altogether sympathetic social worker" (Zagha). The set, dialogue style, and formal qualities, such as using long takes, all enhance the theater-like quality of such moments throughout the film. Marriage Story also includes many references to the Stephen Sondheim musical Company. Notably, in two scenes as Nicole sings "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" with her mother and sister, and when Charlie sings "Being Alive" when out at dinner with his theater company. These two scenes parallel each other and are heavily contrasted. Nicole is constantly laughing during her performance at her house-warming party with all her friends. Comparatively, Charlie's song is much more somber, symbolizing the divorce being finalized, yet the song lyrically prays for companionship—that which he has just lost with Nicole. "Being Alive" is specifically significant in how it relates to the original context of the musical, representing a pivotal moment of discovery: Bobby does not want to be alone. Charlie's version takes place after just ending his marriage. Charlie realizes he lost a marriage he failed to appreciate in this rendition. Marriage Story uses Charlie's male genius perspective as the catalyst for the demise of his marriage, and the performance of "Being Alive" near the conclusion of the film is the moment Charlie can finally begin to change. On another note, putting on an act is constantly significant in the legal sphere as "parallels between the theatre and the alternate reality of divorce courts are persuasively brought out, with lawyers keenly reshaping their clients' 'stories,' coaching their testimonies and recasting the stuff of private life into damning evidence" (Zagha). Baumbach uses performance as another motif that extends beyond the film itself by referencing the characters' professions, feelings in their relationship, and legal experiences; it self-reflexively reinforces that the characters themselves are played by actors as their circumstances and society extend beyond the screen.
Finally, Laura Dern's Oscar-winning role as lawyer Nora completes the female narrative by bluntly addressing the flaws in the legal system and society; this frank honesty is essential in balancing the personalities of Nicole and Charlie. Nora is Nicole's divorce attorney, and she had also experienced her divorce in the past. Nora gives a monologue explaining to Nicole the double standard she faces in court for her custody battle as she says, "let's face it, the idea of a good father was only invented like 30 years ago. Before that, fathers were expected to be silent and absent and unreliable and selfish […] But on some basic level, we accept them. We love them for their fallibilities, but people absolutely don't accept those same failings in mothers. […] You will always be held to a different, higher standard" (Marriage Story). Nora's character can cut across the insecurities and tell Nicole bluntly what she is facing. It is a sad speech because it acknowledged simply how the system functions, and particularly how it is stacked unjustly against Nicole due to differing standards of parenthood based on gender. In addition, Nora's scenes and pivotal speech help balance the narrative away from Charlie's perspective. They show the obstacles Nicole must face to obtain her divorce and reclaim creative control. Nicole's positive experience afterward also portrays a very prominent aspect of many divorces as "according to Glenda Riley, discussions of divorce too often presume the loss of an earlier, utopian state of marriage. On the contrary, the history of divorce in America does not support such nostalgia" (Gilmour). Nora's views are a vital component of depicting gender in Marriage Story through her blunt acknowledgment of the double standards facing women in society. She represents hope as a successful, independent woman post-divorce.
Overall, Marriage Story offers a nuanced exploration of gender in a deteriorating relationship, and it ultimately supports a feminist stance through its unique use of the male gaze. The film utilizes the gender binary further to distinguish the experiences of divorce between Charlie and Nicole. The use of performance as a motif throughout all aspects of the film highlights gender as a societal construct. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Marriage Story delivers a non-abrasive look into the everyday consequences of a male-dominated society. Its resolution provides hope for mutual respect in the future.
Work Cited
Frosch, Jon. "Marriage Story: Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver do career-best work in Noah Baumbach's epic heartbreaker of a divorce drama." Hollywood Reporter, vol. 425, no. 29, 4 Sept. 2019, p. 75. Gale In Context: Biography, https://link-gale
com.libproxy1.usc.edu/apps/doc/A600268505/BIC?u=usocal_main&sid=BIC&xid=4fe5 97bb. Accessed 3 Apr. 2020.
Gilmour, Heather. "Different, Except in a Different Way: Marriage, Divorce, and Gender in the Hollywood Comedy of Remarriage." Journal of Film and Video, vol. 50, no. 2, 1998, pp. 26-39. ProQuest, http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest com.libproxy1.usc.edu/docview/212687718?accountid=14749.
Gleiberman, Owen. "Who's Side Is 'Marriage Story' On?" Variety, 7 Nov. 2019, variety.com/2019/film/columns/whose-side-is-marriage-story-on-adam-driver-scarlett johansson-1203407418/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2020.
Marriage Story. Directed by Noah Baumbach, Netflix, 2019.
Moller, Lorraine F. The Treatment of Spousal Relationships in American Film, New York University, Ann Arbor, 1999. ProQuest, http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://search proquest-com.libproxy1.usc.edu/docview/304524129?accountid=14749.
Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings, e-book, 2009.
Zagha, Muriel. "Faults and Lines." The Times Literary Supplement, no. 6094, 17 Jan. 2020, www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/faults-and-lines/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2020.