Egypt Edition 
UAE Edition 
Saudi Edition 
MENA <> India Corridor 
Logistics (MENA) 
Climate (MENA) 
Share
Read Full Issue 
? A modern-day marriage: Following the massive success of her 2023 masterpiece PastLives, Canadian filmmaker and director Celine Song returns with her second movie and one of the most anticipated of the year, Materialists. The movie reimagines modern-day love, exploring how it adapts to individualism, capitalism, and the commodification that has reached relationships.
Meet your matches: Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is an independent woman living in New York, enjoying her life as a matchmaker for a big company that caters to individuals seeking marriage. Her job? Sit with each individual client and listen to their absurd marital needs. The partner traits requested are ludicrous, but Lucy does her best to make them happen.
Enter Pedro Pascal: Lucy soon meets Harry (Pascal), a successful entrepreneur who comes from old money. Harry is smitten, but John (Chris Evans) — Lucy’s ex — soon comes into the picture. John’s trying to get his big Hollywood break, but his dreams may be inflated. Meanwhile, Harry represents everything Lucy could ever ask for: he’s wealthy, handsome, and offers a lifestyle she has long craved. She is then left with a choice: wealth, or love?
In Materialists, director Celine Song tackles more than one contemporary issue and raises a series of questions. How can an individual living in a society that encourages individualism find a life partner? How can a person completely abandon superficial traits? What can they do if their partner’s flaws cannot be fixed?
Yet in raising these questions, Song loses control of the movie’s narrative. The first half of the movie was clearer, with its characters' actions justified and understandable. The second half? Well, not so much. The latter half of the movie left us confused, and we felt as though the characters changed overnight. It’s still a movie worth watching, however.
The dialogue feels real, and is the movie’s saving grace. Evans’ quiet performance stands out, with Dakota delivering a solid performance as well. Despite how audiences may feel about Pascal’s character, the Chilean-American actor embodied the role perfectly. The cinematography was stunning and expressive of the dreamy mood Song has come to be known for.
WHERE TO WATCH: Materialists is screening at Vox Cinemas in Mall of Egypt, Mall of Alexandria, and City Center Almaza, City StarsCinema, and CFCM and District 5’s Scene Cinemas. You can also catch the movie at Cima Arkan, Zawya, and P90 Cinema. Watch the trailer on YouTube (runtime: 2:21).
