anchor: A split wide open

Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story reveals the messiness of a divorce, wherein there are no winners, just losers

Navnee Likhi

“As a child of separated parents, I can attest that when you are younger, it’s hard to see both sides of the argument. Hell, it’s hard seeing one side that isn’t yours, the pain and confusion that comes with transitions are stronger than anything you have known so far, says Noah Baumbach, director of Marriage Story.

Written and directed by American director Baumbach, the film centres around Charlie and his wife Nicole, an intelligent and successful couple. The two share their dreams and aspirations but don’t click. Their marriage falls apart and the two head for a divorce. The film captures raw emotional reality. The film doesn’t have glamour, rather the story strips everything to roots. Charlie and Nicole are struggling to keep their marriage afloat. They have had bumps in their relationship and keep saying hurtful things to one another.

Noah draws on his personal experience and feelings as a survivor of divorce as a young child, and then, as an adult, thereby giving a human account of inhumanity of marital breakdown. He also shares the anguish and absurdity of money-grabbing lawyers. The two, however, remain devoted parents to their eight-year-old son Henry.

The film has a breezy, pleasing opening with a pair of voiceovers of Charlie and Nicole about each other. Their conversations are sweet, funny, and occasionally critical. The couple attends marriage counselling sessions where the two are asked to write what they like about each other. Nicole feels uncomfortable doing so, and leaves the session midway. The film is punctuated by tender moments of putting young Henry to bed by his babysitter till his parents return home.

Charlie is a smart, modestly successful playwright, who holds his own shows in New York City. Nicole is a gifted actress but her talent is overshadowed by her husband’s ambitions. They both work well together and are aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Intercut is the scene with the footage of two playing the game of Monopoly together, one of many small moments they share. Charlie, being a self-possessed director of his theatre company, doesn’t realise that Nicole’s life as an actress in his troupe does not give her a promising career. When Nicole gets an offer to do a lead role in a TV series, she wants to move temporarily to Los Angeles, along with her bubbly mother, who, too, is an actresses. Charlie, however, is against Nicole’s decision as, it will affect his professional life and also of their son. Adamant Nicole leaves for Los Angeles much to Charlie’s dismay. Charlie rents an apartment in Los Angeles city to be close to his son.

The film observes their big and small moments as a once loving couple heading towards failure in marriage. Nicole says to Charlie, “It is not as simple as being in love anymore”. This makes it clear when lawyers from both sides get involved.

The split family shuttles between New York and Los Angeles. The razor sharp perceptive script covers a lot of ground like personal negotiation, lawyers trying to protect their clients, distance making them less fond of each other. Henry wonders why his parents are busting their relationship. Charlie assumes that this won’t last long but when the rug is pulled out from his feet, he is worried he can’t afford the divorce settlement.

Meanwhile Nicole finds herself lost in her own life, and Charlie has a fling with a woman. Despite their differences, they vow to part amicably. Nicole’s family asks her to engage Nora Fanshaw, a sleek lawyer who specialises in tough talk. Charlie first meets Jay Marietta, a brash and expensive lawyer, but later decides to hire Bert Spitz, a retired family lawyer, who favours a more civil approach. Nicole and her lawyer share dueling monologues that reveal layers of intent and self deception. Charlie and Nicole rise up to the challenge, revealing their vulnerabilities. Both are passing through phases of uncertainty, insecurity and loss.

Nicole and Charlie’s friends and families become supporting players in their daily farce. Nicole and her family members dither over how to serve Charlie with divorce papers. A court evaluator is sent to observe how the son and father interact. There are no clear winners as the case continues, especially when Nora and Britz have no compunction about ripping each other’s clients’ lives. Disillusioned with the legal processes, Nicole and Charlie decide to meet in private, away from their lawyers and agree to reduce each other’s demands and reach mutual agreement to finalise the divorce.

As a year passes by, Charlie and Nicole excel in their careers and share their duties looking after their son Henry. The background score by Randy Newman highlights the depth and poignancy in everyday minutiae of a drawn-out legal imbroglio. Adam Driver in the role of Charlie and Scarlett Johansson as Nicole, Laura Dern as Nora Fanshaw deliver a gutsy, no-holds barred performances.