Blonde: Marilyn Monroe's Fame, Identity, and Control Explored

Andrew Dominik's film 'Blonde' (2022) uses a first-person perspective to immerse viewers in Norma-Marilyn's traumatic experience, challenging conventional narrative linearity. The film's non-linear structure, influenced by David Lynch, Terrence Malick, and Gus Van Sant, allows multiple entry points into Monroe's life. Dominik employs distorted imagery reminiscent of video art to mirror the deformation of her identity. Fame serves as both a vehicle for redemption from a traumatic past and a source of new trauma, as Monroe's image is reproduced obsessively across media. The protagonist's few victories occur when she momentarily escapes control and asserts her independent humanity. The film explores the permanent conflict with patriarchal structures of 1950s-60s Hollywood, power, and society.