Marriage Story (2019)

Noah Baumbach constructs an unflinching portrait of divorce with masterful performances and direction that grants no easy emotional relief. The film possesses the virtue of depicting the genuine pain caused by marital breakdown: both protagonists suffer, the child is caught in the middle, and the legal battle dehumanizes all involved. It is not pro-divorce propaganda — the suffering is visible and genuine. However, the work operates from a secular perspective that assumes divorce as a legitimate solution when two people 'grow in different directions'. There is no concept of marital permanence, of striving to save the bond, nor of conjugal forgiveness as a path. The breakdown is presented as inevitable and, ultimately, acceptable. The language is very strong, especially in the fight scene, with raw insults. For parents: it is a well-crafted adult drama, yet it lacks the dimension of fidelity that marriage requires. It can open conversations about the true cost of divorce, but from a worldview that does not uphold the indissolubility of the bond.