Poor Marilyn Monroe. Misunderstood, sexually abused, mentally ill, abandoned and objectified, her life is a real Hollywood tragedy; a sad and sorry tale dismally familiar to millions. Andrew Dominik’s Blonde is based on Joyce Carol Oates’s novel of the same name, and is therefore very much a work of fiction rather than a biopic, albeit one based on known events in the actress’s life.
Dominik has stayed fairly true to the novel: three characters are embodied in the same woman. There’s Norma Jeane Baker, the poor fostered child who wins beauty pageants and emits an aura of wholesome natural loveliness; there’s Marilyn Monroe, the uber-sexualised glamour girl movie star; and there’s the Blonde, a symbolic virginal creature that is both admired and degraded.
