My Week with Marilyn (2011)

MWwM is based on autobiographical works by writer and filmmaker Colin Clark (here portrayed by Eddie Redmayne) who, in his early twenties, spent time with then thirty-year-old Marilyn Monroe while she was in London shooting The Prince and the Showgirl (1957). It starts out a lighthearted melodrama with a vibrant pace but seamlessly transitions into something that delves into the very heart of its subject without ever diminishing her appeal.
Michelle Williams is amazing as the blonde bombshell, giving a sympathetic portrayal that communicates the sadness and self-doubts that can accompany a life lived in two halves. In one she's an innocently destructive lost soul, whereas in the other she's a powerhouse of movie stardom for whom all others must bend over backwards to please. It's the more fragile former state that gives Dir. Simon Curtis' film its most powerful moments.

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