Even if we haven’t seen her act, heard her speak or sing, the image of Marilyn Monroe is a widely known one. She still is the epitome of a sex symbol, a reminder of the classical Hollywood era and of how much prevalence we place on outer beauty. Was she a good actress? The answer depends on who you ask, but most people that have seen her films can testify that she was able to charm them with her unnatural beauty. When it was announced that a new Marilyn Monroe film was going to be made, everyone’s first thought was: who’s going to play Marilyn? While there was some initial doubt concerning Michelle Williams’ casting, once images of her as Marilyn appeared everyone was at ease. But does her performance and the film live up to the hype?

My Week With Marilyn starts off by introducing us to Colin Clark (Eddie Redmaye), a wealthy young man trying to make something of himself. Much to the dismay of his family, Clark is in love with films and wants to be a part of the filmmaking process. Luckily and with much determination, he lands a job as a third assistant director in Sir Laurence Oliver’s (Kenneth Branagh) new directorial effort called The Prince and The Showgirl starting himself and the bonafide Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams). What seemed like a promising notion at first turns out bring increasingly more problems as Monroe’s methods cause delays, problems on set and with the actors. During all these issues, Clark is asked to look after Monroe and rapidly becomes smitten by her, who much to his surprise returns the affection.

This film marks the feature film debut of director Simon Curtis who up until now has done TV movies and TV series. Curtis direction isn’t groundbreaking and I doubt that he’ll get an Oscar nomination for it considering the fierce competition he is facing, but a lot of the visual magic an charm of My Week With Marilyn is thanks to his more than capable direction. You can tell by the way he structure scenes and shots that he is in love with his actors and their evident beauty. He’ll do a close-up on the actors faces in such a way that their arresting beauty is increased tenfold, which makes watching Michelle Williams and Eddie Redmaye that much more enthralling. Curtis has a good sense of direction and the camera is always placed so that the audience can have a real sense of what it is like to make a film and how someone’s inability to cooperate stalls and bothers everyone. His knack for beautiful visuals is then carried forward by his more than stellar cast.

In the supporting category, every actor is not only effective but brilliantly memorable. Judi Dench brings a gravitas to the proceedings and is responsible for the most tender moments as she is the seasoned actress even in this film within a film production. Toby Jones is also great and brings forth the most laughs in the film, although I would’ve hoped if he was featured a bit more predominantly. Emma Watson and Dominic Cooper are also great, but the most outstanding is none other than Kenneth Branagh. Branagh is genius as Sir Laurence Oliver and he nails that tone voice perfectly. This is a very physical performance as you can see how he speaks and screams with his lips closed together and always maintain a stance of authority. He is the character of the film that most adequately resembles the audience initial feelings towards Monroe’s methods and tardiness, and his much talked about possible Oscar nomination is a definite must.

The film two protagonist are also brilliant, one so more than the other of course. Eddie Redmaye is perfect as Colin Clark and his excitement of working in the area of his dreams is a palpable and ever-increasing one. He exudes both an innocence and belief that everyone who works in film is a marvellous person. As most people in the film tell his character, he isn’t experienced of the ways of the world and Redmaye conveys that inexperience beautifully and with such charisma that you can’t help but relate to it and in a way admire it. When one is doing something they are truly passionate about one will place higher emphasis on the positives, on the magic of it all and as result one might even see things other fail to do so. Colin Clark saw things in Marilyn Monroe that others didn’t, he was in love with her but above all else he understood her, which is more than you can say about the rest. This is a brilliant breakthrough performance for Eddie Redmaye and shows that he is an actor to watch.

Having said all that, the absolute best and most mind-blowing aspect of My Week With Marilyn is Michelle Williams. We all know she is a great actress, but never have I ever seen her dive so deeply into a role and surpass all expectations. She is the perfect Marilyn Monroe and nails every single facet about her from her aloofness to her sexually enticing mannerisms to her voice. From that very opening shot of Williams performing “When Love Goes Wrong, Nothin’ Goes Right” you are immediately attracted and in awe of her. This is a powerhouse performance that completely draws you and even though Williams isn’t physically identical to Monroe, she still manages to make you fall in love with her with just a simple wink. She exudes sensuality and charm, and it is impossible not to be enthralled by her.

Moreover, Williams brings a depth to Monroe that I was not expecting. This is a very troubled woman with many problems with confidence, abandonment and drug use. In a way, she is a wounded puppy dog that makes you hate yourself for even thinking of hurting. Michelle Williams humanize Monroe like only a only methodical and expert actress can, and every time she’s on screen everything just glows. Williams has never looked so ravishing and beautiful. I’ve yet to see Meryl Streep’s performance, but I believe this performance by Michelle Williams needs to be awarded with an Oscar. It is not only her best performance to date, but it is one of the most beautiful and captivating I haver ever seen and none of the other contenders (that I’ve seen) are even close to her majestic brilliance.

I have to admit that I was very surprised by how much I loved My Week With Marilyn. While the film has some few flaws, like some of the initial voice over narration that is really cheesy, director Simon Curtis has assembled a marvellous and magical first feature film that will even charm the hell out of the most pessimistic and doubtful person. He presents us with a real sense of how all this filmmaking business works and shows that things are much more complicated than what we imagined. Furthermore, he is able to capture the beauty of his actors and actresses and their more than arresting performances. The most notable ones are Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmaye and Michelle Williams. Branagh and Williams are a lock for the Oscars and rightfully so, as they both give brilliantly defined and accomplished performances. Williams in particular is by far the best and makes for an even more greater Marilyn Monroe than anyone could’ve imagined. She succeeds in providing us with a portrait of a widely recognized woman whose personality and inner person is still somewhat of an enigma.

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