Movies

As magnetic and enigmatic as Marilyn Monroe herself, My Week with Marilyn is one of the most astute portrayals of a famous person ever caught on film. Michelle Williams is truly incredible as the biggest film star of all time, going far beyond impersonation.

My Week with Marilyn picks a seminal moment in the actress's career: her trip to England in 1956 to make a film with Shakespearean acting legend Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh), in a bid to be taken seriously as an actress. But, as we know from her tragic life, Marilyn is her own worst enemy, and her personal demons threaten to derail her ambitions.

The film is seen through the eyes of Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), who wrote a memoir on which the movie is based, on his first job as an assistant director on The Prince and The Showgirl. As Marilyn's erratic behaviour plagues the production and her working relationship with Olivier disintegrates, Clark becomes one of the few people she can trust, and escape with.

My Week with Marilyn is a delight from start to finish, capturing the dizzying excitement of fame and first love, and the realities of both. For Clark, it's a dream come true, for Marilyn it's a living nightmare with rare moments of euphoric respite.

The script is packed with comic gems, intimate moments and on-set intrigue, bubbling along with a lightness of touch. But the trump card is the Oscar-worthy performance of Williams: she lights up the screen with shades of vulnerability, sensuality, charm and hurt.

Branagh is the perfect foil as combustible Olivier, while Redmayne is impressive as the adorably boyish Clark.

The entire cast get their moments to shine: Judi Dench as Marilyn's co-star Dame Sybil Thorndike, Zoe Wanamaker as Marilyn's acting coach Paula Strasberg, Julia Ormond as Olivier's wife Vivien Leigh, Dougray Scott as Marilyn's husband Arthur Miller, Toby Jones as film producer Arthur Jacobs, and Emma Watson as Clark's wardrobe girl crush.

My Week with Marilyn is quite simply an exquisite experience that reminds me yet again why I love film.

Watch the trailer here