Today on Netflix, the controversial biopic for which Ana de Armas almost won an Oscar: "Difficult to watch."

Actress Ana de Armas almost won the golden statuette with her Oscar nomination in 2023. The film that almost won her the award left no one indifferent after its run at the Venice and San Sebastián festivals, and is now available to Netflix subscribers. The film, a biopic as risky as it is divisive, crudely addresses the life of film legend Marilyn Monroe, sparking heated debates about her troubled life and its portrayal.

With a formal approach that breaks conventions, from the alternating use of black and white and color to a fragmented narrative laden with symbolism, the film delves into the darker side of the Hollywood mythos . De Armas shines as a woman shaped by the desires of others, whose internal struggle between self and character reveals the price of being a star.

Blonde has been hailed by many as a show that is both disturbing and hypnotic, while others consider it a new form of exploitation of the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes actress. It is an adaptation of the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, directed by Andrew Dominik. Acclaimed and rejected in equal measure , the film turns Monroe into a tragic figure caught between her public image and her private pain.

The actress's performance in The Boarding School was recognized with an Oscar nomination, although the film also received negative mentions, including its inclusion in the Razzie Awards. Even so, De Armas defended the project, stating that it was "a difficult film to watch" that, rather than speaking ill of Monroe, "criticizes the industry," according to The Hollywood Reporter .

Behind its complex formal construction and radical narrative choices, Blonde reveals a very personal interpretation of trauma and fame. For Dominik, it's an exploration of a broken childhood, paternal absence, and intimate pain, although many critics have lamented that the film ignores key aspects of Monroe's real life : her intelligence, her political activism, and her role as a producer.