Entertainment

Adam Driver & Scarlett Johansson's 'Marriage Story' Trailers Will Emotionally Ruin You

by Kelly Schremph
Wilson Webb/Netflix

Just like there are two sides to every story, there are two perspectives to every marriage, which is uniquely demonstrated in the companion teaser trailers for Netflix's new film Marriage Story. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson star as a husband and wife — Charlie and Nicole, respectively — who clearly love a lot of different things about each other, which gets described in great detail throughout both teasers. However, despite all of those heartfelt feelings and their shared history together, these two are struggling to make their marriage work — to the point where they now appear to be on the brink of divorce. So yeah, prepare for this movie to wreak complete havoc on your emotions.

The clips allow viewers to watch the couple from two different perspectives, allowing both characters to explain what it is that makes them love the other so much. The trailers even have different titles to aptly demonstrate this shift in point of view, one being “What I Love About Nicole” and the other “What I Love About Charlie." But while the story may feel like its on the verge of delivering a happy ending, the final few moments indicate otherwise. Both clips come to the same conclusion, finding the former couple in a custody battle for their son, Henry, which prompts them to sit down and talk things out. But can anything be said to change this outcome?

“What I love about Nicole: She’s a great dancer, infectious, she’s a mother who plays — really plays,” Driver's Charlie states in a voiceover for Nicole's teaser as images of her flash across the screen. “She gives great presents. She’s competitive. She knows when to push me and when to leave me alone.”

"What I love about Charlie. He loves being a dad. It’s almost annoying how much he likes it,” Johansson's Nicole explains in a voiceover for Charlie's trailer. “He cries easily in movies. He’s very competitive. He’s very clear about what he wants. He’s a great dresser. He never looks embarrassing, which is hard for a man. He takes all of my moods steadily and he doesn’t make me feel bad about them. He rarely gets defeated, which I always feel like I do.”

This is the point where the two trailers merge together for duplicated scenes that make it clear their marriage is falling apart. Writer and director Noah Baumbach explained his decision to release dual trailers in a press release obtained by Bustle, stating:

Marriage Story is a love story that reveals itself within the breakdown. With these companion trailers I wanted to show the relationship through the eyes of both characters. There are many sides to every story, and the movie embraces these different viewpoints in order to find the shared truth.”

So what does the future hold in store for Charlie and Nicole's marriage? The film is scheduled to make its worldwide debut at Venice Film Festival on Aug. 29, which will be followed by multiple screenings at Telluride, TIFF, as well as the New York Film Festival. It will also become available on Netflix sometime this fall, so you'll just have to wait and find out the answer then.