Kulture Korner: "Materialists" Review

Credit: IMDb

By: Jungha Kwon, Staff Writer

Directed by: Celine Song Written by: Celine Song

Starring: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal

THE KELLOGGIAN'S RATING: 4.5/5 Cereals A friend once told me that marriage is like an M&A. His theory was that two people pool their abilities, assets, and resources to create a larger entity that can thrive. According to him, the first things to evaluate in a potential spouse are their capabilities and financial standing—how much they can contribute to this new venture. He even suggested examining the family's wealth. But looks couldn't be overlooked, he insisted. That was non-negotiable. It all sounded so complicated. There were so many factors to consider, so many calculations to make—it really did feel like an M&A. But something seemed to be missing. So, I asked him: "But what about the person themselves? What about love?" His answer shook me: "Who gets married for love these days?"

Likewise, Materialists is for people who think of marriage as an M&A. It goes without saying that if assets are combined through marriage, there could be synergies, and it might be better financially than living separately (especially in an expensive city like San Francisco or New York). Financial security for the future becomes more assured. If we factor in the intangible assets each person brings, the possibilities are endless. But at the end of this line of thinking, the person and love disappear, leaving only material values. Each becomes nothing more than a complementary good to the other. But is that really what marriage is about? The film’s protagonist, played by Dakota Johnson, works as a matchmaker, fulfilling clients' requirements to arrange successful marriages. Due to the nature of her profession and her personal history, she holds precisely the same view as my friend—marriage is a meeting of conditions, not people. She pursues only transactional matches and doesn't hesitate to evaluate people numerically. What matters is that through a series of experiences, she continually challenges the audience with questions about marriage and love.

There's no right answer to what a marriage should be, but the director offers her own thoughts. Celine Song (Academy Award nominee for Past Lives) persuades audiences through exquisite writing and direction. Unlike Song’s previous work, Materialist’s script is direct and brutally realistic, which is perhaps precisely what allows the message to land so effectively. While the dialogue is straightforward, its meaning is layered enough to warrant reflection, expressed in language that fits each character. The film's essence is accessible on first viewing, but repeated watches reveal deeper meanings. The plot connections flow naturally, and notably, two storylines collide, pointing toward a single theme and intensifying both focus and thematic depth. From a directorial standpoint, despite focusing on a single protagonist, the use of depth of field minimizes emotional attachment, encouraging contemplation while maintaining objectivity. This proves particularly effective for a controversial subject matter on the reasons to marry.

One of the film's few weaknesses is the lack of deeper emotional introspection. Of course, given that this is a commercial film with runtime constraints, such introspection might have been unrealistic or even detrimental to engagement. Still, the protagonist's change of heart about marriage seems too rapid compared to her years of accumulated perspective.

The film provides an answer to the “why?” behind marriage, but in reality, no answer exists. Yet, I still find myself questioning whether marriage without genuine human connection and love can truly work. If marriage is an M&A, then people become mere material objects. Love is still heavily influenced by non-material factors, and I believe it should remain so. Comfort emerges more often from genuine human relationships, from connections between people and from love itself. In the long run, I believe that only someone you truly love can offer comfort in an otherwise difficult, overworked life that Kellogg students strive for.

Moreover, even as an M&A, marriage wouldn't be a particularly good deal financially or accounting-wise. Any MBA student can recognize this. Human body depreciation is steep due to rapid aging, with astronomical costs, and maintenance expenses are no joke either. Given that additional capital expenditure isn't possible, it's not an easy choice financially. Looking at the whole deal, objective valuation is impossible. Highly subjective valuations always lead to deal failure. Price allocation is also quite unfavorable. Especially if you proceed with marriage based on a single factor like appearance or wealth, you'll get heavily skewed toward tangible assets, and when price allocation is one-sided, it's rarely a good deal. No matter how messy the valuation, the only real upside comes from choosing someone you’d bet on even when the numbers don’t add up. More Kulture Korner Articles by Jungha Kwon: "Mission Impossible" Review Piece by Piece" Review"