This week, Netflix released two parallel teaser trailers for Marriage Story, an upcoming movie directed by Noah Baumbach that stars large actor Adam Driver and regular-sized actor Scarlett Johansson as a couple going through a divorce. The title, plot, and trailers might lead one to believe that the film is about a marriage, maybe even the story of a marriage. In fact, the movie, as far as I can tell, is about one thing and one thing only: Adam Driver’s face.
Both trailers take us through the beautiful, varied facial landscapes of Adam Driver, a journey so wild, vast, and unexpected that you come out the other side with new stamps in your passport.
There’s Adam Driver laughing.
There’s Adam Driver looking distressed.
Adam Driver smiling at you (me?) from across a dimly lit room.
Adam Driver looking inscrutable.
Adam Driver looking uncomfortable in a sweater that is struggling to contain him.
Adam Driver eating pizza and talking with his mouth full.
Adam Driver crying, oh no.
Adam Driver scratching his nose.
Adam Driver’s face wrapped up in a mask.
Adam Driver looking like my cause of death.
In a statement about the film, Baumbach said, “There are many sides to every story, and the movie embraces these different viewpoints in order to find the shared truth.” I don’t mean to tell a director what his own movie’s about, but actually a better statement would have been, “There are many sides to Adam Driver’s face, and the movie embraces these different expressions in order to find the shared truth, which is that Adam Driver’s face is perfect. Also he should call Madeleine sometime.”
The movie about Adam Driver’s face premieres on Netflix this fall. Watch the trailers below.