Andrew Dominik Says Americans “Hated” ‘Blonde’ Because It Didn’t Show An Empowered Marilyn Monroe

There might not be a more polarizing film this awards season than “Blonde.” Andrew Dominik’s not-so-true biopic about Marilyn Monroe has been hailed as one of the best films of 2022 by some, while others think it’s one of the worst. Even with an acclaimed performance by Ana de Armas as Monroe, the film is yet another feature from Dominik that is met with a very mixed reaction. But the filmmaker thinks he knows why Americans, in particular, disliked “Blonde.”

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While at the Red Sea Film Festival (via THR), Andrew Dominik discussed “Blonde” and why he thinks his Marilyn Monroe film has been criticized so heavily by American audiences. Dominik readily admits that Americans “hated” his film. He believes the main reason is that those audiences aren’t ready to accept a film where the lead woman isn’t “empowered.”

“Now we’re living in a time where it’s important to present women as empowered, and they want to reinvent Marilyn Monroe as an empowered woman. That’s what they want to see,” said Dominik. “And if you’re not showing them that, it upsets them.”

The filmmaker also responded to criticisms that “Blonde” exploited Marilyn Monroe. 

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“Which is kind of strange, because she’s dead,” he added. “The movie doesn’t make any difference in one way or another. What they really mean is that the film exploited their memory of her, their image of her, which is fair enough. But that’s the whole idea of the movie. It’s trying to take the iconography of her life and put it into service of something else, it’s trying to take things that you’re familiar with, and turning the meaning inside out. But that’s what they don’t want to see.”

All of this is leading to a world, Dominik believes, where American films are becoming “more conservative. He used the example of how audiences now want a bedtime story where the ending isn’t meant to provoke a real reaction. “But I don’t want to make bedtime stories,” he added.

While it’s refreshing to see a filmmaker completely aware of why his latest film didn’t translate well with certain audiences, there’s also a clear understanding by his words that Andrew Dominik is not ready to change the way he presents his projects. He’s going to continue to make the films he wants in the exact way he wants, even if he is going to piss off a large portion of the viewing public in the process. 

“Blonde” is available now on Netflix.