Marriage Story (2020) - What A Shame!

★★★☆☆

When I look at the title, I somehow expect it to be like 'Manchester By The Sea', but no, it's not as heavy and sad overall. Rather, it's a bit hilarious at times though it inevitably delivers tears and bickering as a result of complaints and grumbles over marriage, family issues, individual needs and wants. In fact, this is a divorce story rather than a marriage story. The couple are getting divorced, having lawyers to represent them, fighting over things like the custody of their only son, the share of their fortune and properties, whose sacrifices are more or less, and stuff . But like I said, the mood's not as heavy because they seldom have chance to come face to face alone after the wife (Scarlett Johansson) decides to file for a divorce, for most of the time, it's their lawyers who do the talking! And when they finally do however, the one and only in the entire film, that scene really is something!

The film reminds me of one of the famous quotes from 'Fortress Besieged' a novel by the well respected Chinese scholar Qian Zhongshu, 'Marriage is like a fortress besieged, those who are outside want to get in. Those who are inside want to get out.' No doubt, men always seem to be stuck in reverse and contradictions. We repeatedly go back and forth, not knowing exactly what we're supposed to do and where we're supposed to go! We keep trying to fill up the hole of our wants though we know we never can. That's because we have no control over our mind that keeps wandering from here to there. It lives in fears, so that it's never present. It's always busy either repenting what's already gone or worrying what's yet to come!

I have a mixed feeling about 'Marriage Story', as it presents a story supposedly sad and difficult in a way that feels rather casual and easy! It is quite interesting to see people go so desperate to want to get divorced like they want to get married so bad in the first place. I don't know. Maybe this 'listen to your heart and live for yourself' thing has been like a reasonable trend over the globe. I'm not saying that this is wrong but you know our mind could be very tricky and deceptive sometimes. Like one of these mornings, when I was on a bus going to work, in a seat by the window, with the sun cascading down on me after days of its absence, I knew I was supposed to feel certain gratitude and warmth, but what a shame, I didn't!