Blonde Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

1. It's Going To Piss A LOT Of People Off

Make no mistake, Blonde's sheer existence has already made a lot of people angry, and it will only continue to now that it's available on general release.

Even beyond the arguments about the ethics of dredging up Monroe's well-trod tragic life for another piece of "entertainment," Dominik's film basically goes out of its way to weed out those who might go in hoping for something more safe and familiar.

This is a film which refuses to shy away from the ugliest moments of her life - abuse both in childhood and as an adult in Hollywood, and being haunted by the memories of her aborted pregnancies.

Dominik literalises the latter by envisioning Monroe speaking to her own unborn fetus, in a scene that while not nearly as controversial as some outlets have suggested, is nevertheless transgressive enough to surely upset and frustrate many viewers.

It isn't a warm and cozy piece of work that fondly remembers the highs of Monroe's life - it's a film about abuse and its lifelong impact which some will unavoidably see as exploitative, and it's not an accusation which Dominik's film is easily able to fully sidestep.

These issues aside, though, Blonde offers a lot of cinematic nourishment if you're prepared to stick with it to the end. Here's what it gets right...