The much anticipated Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde has been branded anti-abortion propaganda by US organisation Planned Parenthood.
The film – based on the novel of the same name, released in 2000, by Joyce Carol Oates – stars Ana de Armas, 34, as Norma Jeane, who went by the stage name Marilyn Monroe.
It was released on Netflix earlier this week but viewers believe some scenes have a different context to the modern day backdrop of the Roe v Wade abortion ruling.
In the movie, Marilyn is seen having two illegal abortions, which were imposed upon her against her will and tormented her.
One moment, created using CGI, portrays the actress' foetuses speaking to her as one asks: "You won’t hurt me this time, will you?"
Pro-choice organisation Planned Parenthood's Caren Spuch slammed the scenes as they said: "As film and TV shapes many people’s understanding of sexual and reproductive health, it’s critical these depictions accurately portray women’s real decisions and experiences.
"It is a shame that the creators of Blonde chose to contribute to anti-abortion propaganda and stigmatise people’s health care decisions instead."
But the movie's director Andrew Dominik hit back and said: "No one would have given a s*** about that if I’d made the movie in 2008, and probably no one’s going to care about it in four years’ time. And the movie won’t have changed."
Blonde is described by Netflix – who released the project on Wednesday (September 28) as a "fictional portrait" of Hollywood icon Marilyn that "boldly reimagines" her life.
The film – which has a run time of more than three hours – has divided critics and viewers, who have praised Armas' performance but questioned the portrayal of its subject.
Blonde, which has been dubbed "dull trauma porn" in a one-star review for the Independent, is even said to have led viewers to turn it off after a difficult first 20 minutes.
Writing about the film – which has an 18 rating – one viewer said in a post on Twitter : "The [first] 20 minutes of Blonde made me feel so sick to my stomach I had to turn it off".
Another viewer tweeted: "Literally turned off Blonde after the first 20 minutes. I love Ana de Armas, but this is f***ing disgusting I don't even think I can finish this filth".
"It's disgusting, graphic, and honestly so depressing. I felt drained after only watching the first 20 minutes," wrote a third viewer about the newly-released biopic.
Others described it as "disturbing," "crude," "disrespectful" and "hard to watch" at times. One viewer said: "[Armas] is actually a great Marilyn but this s*** is unwatchable.
"It has the most interesting cinematography and [Armas] is giving it all yet every scene is just tragedy after tragedy to a point it becomes torture porn," said another viewer.
Do you enjoy reading about celebrities? Sign up for all the best celeb news from the Mirror here .
There has, however, been praise for Blonde following its release earlier this week, with some people commenting that Marilyn's life was difficult and the film is mirroring just that.
"It's supposed to make you uncomfortable. You are supposed to experience how uncomfortable she felt in her own life," tweeted one viewer about the project recently.
"Personally, I loved the film. It was harrowing because her life wasn't a fairy tale. She really did go through hell from the cradle to the grave," another person commented.
Another person commented: "All this moaning about it being exploitative and whatnot is total nonsense. [...] No point in dumbing down the reality of her upbringing".
Blonde is available to watch on Netflix now.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct 0207 29 33033.
