The Big Backlash To Netflix’s ‘Blonde,’ Explained

Blonde, Andrew Dominik’s film adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ novel, starring Ana De Armas as a semi-fictionalized caricature of Marilyn Monroe, has sparked heated debate online.

Blonde initially enjoyed a positive reception after being screened at the Venice Film Festival, prompting a 14-minute standing ovation (no one loves clapping more than film festival attendees). The critics, however, told a different story, with the film sitting at a flat 44% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Viewers and critics expressed deep discomfort with the film’s graphic depictions of sexual assault, and a forced abortion scene that plays like pro-life propaganda.

Complicating the discussion is the fact that the film (and the novel) fictionalize Monroe’s life, using Monroe as an avatar, representing the women suffering under the brutal misogyny of the entertainment industry (one Twitter user took the trouble to compile a thread showcasing where the film had drifted from reality).

Many of Monroe’s fans felt that her image had already been exploited enough; most recently, by Kim Kardashian, who wore Monroe’s iconic dress as a publicity stunt for the 2022 Met Gala, and was accused of permanently damaging it.

Another backlash arrived after an unflattering interview with the film’s director, Andrew Dominik, went viral, as Dominik came across as strangely disinterested and even dismissive of Monroe’s legacy and work.

During the interview, conducted by Sight and Sound magazine, Dominik implied that he was more interested in Monroe’s suffering than anything else, and even described the protagonists of her 1953 film Gentleman Prefer Blondes as “well-dressed whores.”

While Dominik might well have misspoken, the interview seemed to confirm the worst fears of Blonde’s detractors.

When Blonde finally dropped on Netflix, it instantly sparked another backlash from viewers who were unhappy with film’s depiction of Monroe, as well as the graphic imagery, which was perceived as tasteless, lecherous gawking rather than a coherent critique of misogyny.

The backlash sparked a counter-backlash of people who viewed the criticism as an overreaction, coming from pearl-clutching prudes who automatically equate depiction with endorsement.

Others had mixed feelings, believing the film to be well-crafted, yet still misguided.

The discourse peaked after a particularly deranged criticism of Blonde went viral, a tweet that implied that Joyce Carol Oates isn’t sexually attractive enough to write a story about Marilyn Monroe.

That terrible take seemed to cool the discourse somewhat. But the debate over Blonde comes in the wake of several heated discussions on how to responsibly depict violence and suffering in media, especially when fiction takes inspiration from real tragedy, with Netflix’s Dahmer sparking a similar debate.

HBO’s House of the Dragon has also been criticized for its graphic depiction of female suffering, the women of Westeros strangled by the twin serpents of patriarchy and monarchy. Unlike Dragon, which boasts well-developed female characters with agency, working within the confines of their golden cages, Blonde is being criticized for its portrait of Monroe as a two-dimensional victim.

There is another film that tells a very similar story to Blonde, of an actress split between personality and persona, hounded by misogyny – Perfect Blue, directed by Satoshi Kon.

It’s not currently the subject of hot debate, but it’s (arguably) a more profound film than Blonde.