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This Netflix film shows a new, complicated kind of love story

“Malcolm & Marie” tests the boundaries of a relationship

Today on Reel Talk, movie reviewer Greg Russell got the chance to watch Netflix’s latest flick, Malcolm & Marie, which is available to watch now.

The film stars John David Washington and Zendaya as they play a couple going through the dramatic highs and lows of an intense, unconventional love story.

Greg was able to sit down and talk with John David Washington about his role in the film.

“It definitely breaks the traditional love story genre,” Washington said. He said the film gets into the more serious sides of love and the struggle it can take to maintain a relationship. “Ultimately it taught me always thank your partner.”

Washington said that because the film was shot in black and white and the cast was so small, there was a lot of pressure on making his performance work. But, he said working alongside Zendaya made the performance come more naturally. “It was easy to play off of her because she’s so honest, and real, and so brilliant.”

He said that seeing two African American actors set in the film’s stylized 60′s look setting was also very refreshing. He said it goes to show how black characters belong in every era, and that “black love is real, and it is messy, and it is complicated, but it’s honest and it’s real.”

To hear Greg’s full review and more, watch the video above.