When you’re telling a great story, complexity is optional. It can be useful, and when used correctly, can generate wonderful creativity, but it’s not always a necessary part of the equation. Ultimately, the main building blocks are simply character and conflict: they put together a combination of the two and they have a story. The majority of the films we see obviously go beyond that and use the great magic in the art form – but in contrast, seeing a film like Sam Levinson’s Malcolm And Marie, which advocates the bare bones approach, is always excellent In this way, the raw, beating heart of the drama can be exposed.
