The beautiful, the successful, the one and only Marilyn Monroe has some dark secrets hidden behind her glowing smile; secrets that were erased from the public eye when her name “Norma Jean” was erased. These secrets are revealed through the new Netflix documentary, “Blonde”.

The movie focuses on the hidden traumatic parts of Marilyn Monroe’s life. It zeros in on the factors that went into giving her childhood trauma, and how that would ultimately shape the rest of her life. The movie also focuses on a deeper look into her relationships—both platonic and non-platonic—along with a better understanding of how Marilyn Monroe suffered due to her mother’s mental illness.

“Blonde” gained a lot of recognition because it was not made to focus on the highlights in Marilyn Monroe’s life but instead give the viewer a more realistic view of the suffering she had to endure. This point-of-view that the directors chose to take has caused some backlash; some have argued it focused too much on the negative aspects, which was “misleading”. If it had focused more on the positives of her life, it would have taken away from the point of the movie, which was to show the trauma she encountered and how she overcame it. This movie is directed toward a mature audience, considering its nude scenes and suggestive and lewd language.

The film takes an informative tone which allows for people who don’t know much about Marilyn to learn through Ana de Armas’ portrayal. Overall, the documentary is definitely not one to uplift your mood, but rather one that gives viewers a deep dive into what was hidden from the public eye during Marilyn Monroe’s uprising in fame. The film is something everyone should watch to educate themselves on the imperfections of Hollywood celebrities, such as the great Marilyn Monroe.