We want to live in the 'Malcolm & Marie' house!
Nobody comes out unscathed after spending 1 hour and 46 minutes with Malcolm & Marie . The lucky ones who have already enjoyed it will know what we are talking about. Those who have not yet had the opportunity, should park their plans and get down to work after reading these words. In real time, The spectator attends enthralled to the combat of words of the protagonists, while they swarm through the corridors of a house that has given much to talk about: The Caterpillar House.
Its premiere harbored a growing expectation for different aspects. One of them, Euphoria fans were impatient for seeing director Sam Levinson and actress Zendaya together again , doing what they both know how to do very well: create magic on the screen. other, because Malcolm & Marie was presented in a cryptic, enigmatic way... The viewer still did not know for sure what he was going to face.
Welcome to Caterpillar House.
And suddenly, it happens. Two unique characters and a single setting is what this film lacks to catch you, but what characters and what setting! As you attend to their tense discussions so as not to miss a word that is addressed, your eye becomes aware of all the environments through which they pass . That combination of some stunning natural exteriors and an innovative interior loaded with design They make you think that it can only be a thing of fiction, but Malcolm & Marie's house exists.
WITH OWN NAME
From the kitchen to the living room, from the living room to the bedroom and from the bedroom to the bathroom, This is how Zendaya and John David Washington move throughout the whole movie. It has its own name, but also its owner, this stage is far from being a simple prop. Amidst the rolling hills of the Santa Lucia Reservation in Carmel, Northern California, sits The Caterpillar House.
The architect of finding the right location for the title was production designer Michael Grasley . Considering that the plot took place entirely in a single location, the choice had to be thorough . The location had to be in tune with the intimacy that is created between both characters and help that black and white aesthetic that accompanies the entire film.
Malcolm and Marie go through all the corners of the Caterpillar House.
Not only that, Sam Levinson had already set out to Malcolm and Marie were two timeless movie stars , so the stage had to be contemporary but without being avant-garde. And so Michael Grasley stumbled upon with the houses of Jonathan Feldman, of Feldman Architecture , and what we could call love at first sight took place.
When members of the creative team agreed that Caterpillar House was the one, they had to go one step further: convince her landlady to move out for two weeks. When she happily accepted (who doesn't?) she began a race against the clock to shoot a movie in just ten days during the quarantine period.
THE AESTHETICS
Levinson was clear about it, he wanted the stage to release cinema through the pores , as its stars do and as the script does. After all, he himself said that Malcolm & Marie is "a love letter to cinema" . The choice of the house could not be more impeccable and it is that Jonathan Feldman really studied film at university to later become an architect . The pieces were beginning to fit perfectly.
Innovation and nature united in a home.
They needed a lot more light than usual, due to the aesthetics of the film, but the filming maneuvers were not an impediment being isolated from the neighborhood . The Caterpillar House could be anyone's dream home, surrounded by nature and with such a beautiful design that you don't want to get out of it.
The elegance of its interior and the overwhelming landscape that surrounds it they were responsible for that dance that is happening in the course of the argument. inside, because it has a meandering structure that makes Malcolm and Marie almost hand in hand with the viewer while running through the halls. Outside, because the scenes that take place in the rural environment symbolize that necessary respite that they cry out for, not only the protagonists, but also us.
SUSTAINABLE? ALSO
And just when you think it can't get any better, The Caterpillar House surprises again. Its construction is born of love for modern country houses of the client who requested it. Innovation and simplicity united in a home that is equally welcoming and innovative. What was sought was a connection with the land and nature, without losing that degree of modernity and latest design.
The story of Malcolm and Marie captivates as much as its setting.
The result is a picture in which, despite the contrasts, the elements that compose it do not squeak . The house is connected, literally with the space in which it is located. Its walls are made of the rammed earth that was removed from the excavation when it was built. . That is why the outline of the house moves away from the aggressiveness of straight lines to focus on a fluid and relaxed drawing. In addition, this material is capable of acting as a thermal mass, making the temperature perfect both day and night.
Near your location are three tanks that are responsible for storing rainwater , which will be the one that supplies all the needs of the house later. And one step further, there is also provided with photovoltaic panels that allow you to use your own energy to work.
The rest? A patio in which to spend long hours and large windows that offer any tenant the best views you've ever been able to wake up to . Some good envy can be glimpsed in the words, but we cannot stop it: we are in love with Malcolm, with Marie and, of course, with their house.
Caterpillar House is the retreat we all need.