Credit: Netflix

Zendaya is rarely out of the limelight these days, is she? This woman has become a performer whose mere presence can turn a project into an event, and, frankly, good luck finding anyone who objects.

Still, amid the franchises and the recent Spider-Man and The Odyssey couture appearances, Malcolm & Marie remains a rather revealing entry in her career. So, if you are still under her spell but fancy seeing her in a very different sort of role, this is the one to visit or revisit.

It does not have the huge cast or scale of her latest projects, but that is the whole point. It is just Zendaya, John David Washington and one relationship being picked apart over the course of a single night.

Sam Levinson’s 2021 drama begins after Malcolm, a filmmaker, returns home from the premiere of his latest film with his girlfriend, Marie. He is on cloud nine, swanning about the house as though the glowing reviews are already on their way. Marie, meanwhile, is quietly simmering. Why? Because he forgot to thank her in his speech. A small mistake, you might think. Not a chance.

Once the grievance is aired, there is no putting the cork back in the bottle. Little does he know that it’s just the beginning. Soon, every buried resentment comes clattering out. Marie believes he has used painful parts of her life in his work while ignoring what she contributed. Malcolm, of course, sees that as an attack on his talent.

What follows is a massive quarrel: a quarrel over gratitude and who has sacrificed more for whom. The friction is that they know each other far too well. Each knows where the other is most vulnerable, and neither is shy about going there. You may side with Marie, then admit Malcolm has half a point, only for him to launch into another speech and lose you again. Honestly, the man could start an argument in an empty room.

Zendaya is excellent because she does not try to make Marie easy to like. Marie is hurt, but she is also bitter and unpredictable. At times, Zendaya barely needs to speak. One look tells you she has heard enough. Washington, meanwhile, plays Malcolm as a man intoxicated by his own intellect. He is magnetic but utterly exhausting at the same time. He is charming, but he is also exhausting. You can see why Marie fell for him, and you can also see why she now looks ready to pack it all in.

The story behind the film is almost as interesting as the drama. Levinson wrote it after production on Euphoria was paused during the pandemic, following conversations with Zendaya about whether they could make a film safely. It was shot with a small crew at the Caterpillar House in Carmel, California, under strict quarantine rules. Zendaya and Washington also served as producers, so they were involved far beyond simply turning up and saying their lines.

Is Malcolm & Marie self-indulgent? Without a doubt. Some speeches go around the house, double back and then linger. But the film’s excess is part of its character.

So, yes, revisit it for Zendaya. Revisit it because it catches her in a more psychologically exposed register than the roles for which she is now best known. Just do not expect a comforting watch. This is romance with no niceties whatsoever.