Lights, Camera And Action..! Curly blonde hair- check, red lipstick - check, fake mole- check..., Miss de Armas flashes that smile in search of her ultimate daddy, looking virtually identical to the Hollywood sensation Marilyn Monroe - the icon of the 1950s and 60s. Ana de Armas- the Spanish/Cuban actress who played Marilyn Monroe in Netflix’s much-anticipated drama “Blonde” movie with her uncanny resemblance, walked out of the Cannes film festival with a standing ovation for her luminous interpretation. The movie hit the OTT screen by end week of September and it has given chills to the audience with its gloaming, pragmatic quandary of the real-life actress and her journey of concussion, fame and mental health struggles which meets the most miserable catastrophe towards her early demise. de Armas sways a voluminous platinum-blond bob hairstyle, just like the one Monroe became famous for back in the 50s. The movie has captured her signature looks catching the perfection in each frame. The journey of a genius actress who had a challenging childhood while growing up with her mother fighting mental issues.
Jaime Leigh McIntosh and Rob Pickens - A Wigmaker Associates are a Los Angeles-based hair stylists who are behind the handiwork of Miss de Armas’ Monroe-esque mirror image. Pickens also known for creating wigs for various characters in “Stranger Things” season four, including Eleven’s buzz-cut. But this time their teamwork seems to take the distinction to higher prestige. Ana de Armas has worked hard as per the reports and obeyed a lengthy process reluctantly to achieve the excellency of physically and mentally morphing into Monroe- turned out it wasn't as simple as it seems in the final layout. Flowing through diverse shades of blonde on herself from golden to platinum so that the perfect wig can be beautifully completed, she confided she had to make a bald cap every single day from forehead to whole head. She told one of the publications that it used to be three and a half hours daily to achieve that perfect make-up. And finally, the outcome of the blonde has given her all the appreciation she so well deserves.
Blonde is based on a fiction novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates which inquires into Monroe’s life and delves into her psychology to apprehend what led her to end her life. After the OTT platform has produced just the right kind of buzz in Hollywood, the film has taken mental health issues alert on rising again. This movie shows an unfiltered rendition of Monroe’s vulnerability and how she endured the turmoil of being a megastar. It is worth knowing in the current times where each individual is well aware of mental health issues and their syndromes. The movie is depicted as an emotional nightmare, a fairy-tale of fear and loathing for female audiences while it's borderline soft porn to male viewers watching those sex scenes and threesomes of the biggest phenomenon of Hollywood. Andrew Dominik - an Australian film director and screenwriter has captured the rape scene which is played by David Warshofsky and his direction has been brutal and heart-sinking with her sexual encounters with JF Kennedy. Where she admits to being delivered to his room just like a piece of meat as room service. His directional debut has been more realistic than surreal to some, it is certainly disturbing to see the inside truth brewing behind the most beautiful face of the era and her glamorous life and success. Blonde has inflated upon in full, grotesque detail claiming to be fictionalised with Monroe being heavily drugged and trafficked by the president's secret service where he pushes her to oral sex n acts sexual violence in hints.
Blonde takes you too close to feeling beautiful and glamorous until it throws you into the feeling of isolation, pushing your life forward despite feeling disconnected, exhausted, guilty, and overcompensating for a deep lack of self-worth. It waves from love, innocence and glamour of ultimate magnificence to human situations which are not so pleasant to witness. Truly reminds us of one of her famous quotes.
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring” - Marilyn Monroe.
