MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH MARRIAGE: A Tragically Dull Coming-of-Age Tale

I have always believed in the art of animation. It is more than just a medium for simple family films, i.e. the works of Walt Disney Pictures. Animated cinema can be a powerful vessel for creative new voices, endless imagination, and touching stories, no matter who’s the target audience. From Perfect Blue to Persepolis, it can run the gamut of human experience in the most creative ways possible, free of all restrictions. I say all of that because My Love Affair with Marriage gets the visual imagination down, but completely misfires in its attempt to connect with the audience.

What’s It All About?

The base premise follows a young Russian girl named Zelma (voiced by Dagmara Dominczyk), as she progresses through life and struggles to conform to the pressures of her local Russian society. With hopes that it will bring her love and happiness, Zelma consistently puts on hold any thought about what she actually wants. However, everything she does leaves her empty and unfulfilled. The longer she tries to fit herself into a box, the more she wants to go against the advice – nay, the expectations – of those around her.

Does It Work At All?

That sounds like a perfect recipe for an emotional rollercoaster, doesn’t it? Earlier this year, Pixar gave us its own very personal and delightful tale about society’s expectations versus what’s in your heart with Elemental, where its heroine grappled with the realization that she didn’t want to manage her father’s shop. Unfortunately, My Love Affair with Marriage seems bent on holding the viewer at a distance from frame one. Director Signe Baumane chooses to use a character simply credited as Biology (voiced by Michele Pawk) as the narrator of Zelma’s entire journey. She pops in a lot to spell out everything the young lady is thinking, feeling and doing throughout, which never lets us simply immerse ourselves in the action. On top of that, Zelma herself consistently interjects with her own narration, to the point where as I watched this film, I lost all interest early on, detached because the movie seemed to want it that way.

My Love Affair with Marriage also uses occasional musical numbers, which are also determined to hammer home the expectations towards Zelma by her community (and probably, by extension, the actual Russia). Stuff like “a woman’s place is in the kitchen,” or “you must get married and stay married, no matter what.” I don’t lightly or frequently use the word “propaganda,” but as the picture lurched along, I got the overwhelming impression I was being preached to about how it wanted everyone watching to live their lives. Just because a film has a firm point of view, doesn’t mean it should be imposed upon the audience. Otherwise, they’ll likely feel alienated, as I was.

But That’s Not the Worst of It…

This isn’t to mention that the characters’ dialogue sounds about as on-the-nose with its meaning as well. Nobody sounds like they’re having a real conversation. They sound like talking heads purely in service of the film’s agenda. When Zelma argues with her partner Sergei (voiced by Cameron Monaghan of Shameless fame), their language should just be called “Commentary-Speak.” Who are these people? What’s Sergei’s inner life?

In the aforementioned Elemental, I felt like I got to really know Wade and Ember, the two leads. Then, on top of that, the film had a lot of solid messaging about familial expectations, prejudice, and following your dreams. Here, instead of building our knowledge of the characters, what’s said only builds upon the blatantly obvious themes Ms. Baumane wants to get across. As a disappointing, predictable result, everyone lacks a memorable or fleshed-out personality.

In Summation

I don’t know what else I can really say about My Love Affair with Marriage. It’s quite a dreary experience, resembling more of an overlong sermon than a well-developed cinematic narrative. It also tells said narrative in the most clinical and emotionally restricted form possible, with only its stylish, expressive animation to save it from total failure. To be frank, I couldn’t see anyone, adult or child, gaining anything positive from the experience, other than maybe getting some amazing sleep. Definitely skip it.