John David Washington is quickly becoming one of the most important actors of his generation, and in Malcolm & Marie, we get to see him explore an impressive range of human emotions as he and Zendaya share the screen in a tale of a couple in crisis. Washington stars in the film as Malcolm, a director on the precipice of a career breakthrough after his movie premieres to high praise from the critics in attendance. As joyful as he is, though, Malcolm soon learns that Marie is in no mood to celebrate with him. Despite the fact that Marie has inspired and informed the central character of his film, Malcolm neglected to include her in his thank you speech earlier in the evening, and she is beyond hurt by this omission. Not only has Malcolm neglected to acknowledge her contributions to the film on this night, but Marie also believes he's taken her for granted throughout the course of their relationship. So the conversation that stems from his accidental insult becomes a heartrending exploration of the many highs and lows of their relationship, with Malcolm and Marie each taking turns as the aggressor of the argument. Malcolm & Marie is full of exquisite scene work by both Washington and Zendaya, who both shine in their roles. And the moment when they discuss Marie's own career sacrifices in particular showcases the breadth of Washington's talents as a performer. By this point in the film, Marie has accused him of belittling her over their years together. At first, he attempts to make peace by admitting that her life is influential to his work, but their respite is short-lived. Amid a moment of passion, Malcolm whispers that Marie should never have given up her acting career, and while he means it as a compliment, she heads outside and starts to stew on his words. When Marie returns to continue the conversation, she's ready for round two - but this time, Malcolm is poised to fight back. After Marie accuses Malcolm of not actually wanting her to have her own work life because of his complete commitment to his own career, he hits back with a comeback of his own. From this moment on, it's clear that Malcolm is finished being on the defensive, and he's ready to truly tangle with Marie in this war of words. Washington's ability to make such a seamless pivot to new posturing is something we have seen from him before, particularly in his performance as Ricky Jerret on Ballers, which featured him dropping all pretenses to get to the heart of the matter on multiple memorable occasions. Here, his decision to engage is jarring, exciting, and a bit unnerving -- all at once. How to pull off a heel turn | 0:00 A gift for fast talk | 2:44 A layer of tenderness | 4:22 Subscribe: https://bit.ly/36dnr0k Find Netflix Film Club on: ➡️INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/netflixfilm ➡️TWITTER: https://twitter.com/NetflixFilm About Netflix: Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with over 204 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments. The Malcolm & Marie Scene That Makes Us Love John David Washington Even More | Netflix https://www.youtube.com/netflixfilmclub In Partnership With Looper https://www.youtube.com/c/looper​ https://www.looper.com/ As a filmmaker and his girlfriend return home from his movie premiere, smoldering tensions and painful revelations push them toward a romantic reckoning.