Marilyn’s Dark Paradise

We know the story of Marilyn Monroe all too well. In his short film, Marilyn’s Dark Paradise, filmmaker Remi Gangarossa honors the screen legend and her tragic legacy.

Before she was Marilyn Monroe (Stephanie Stuart), she was Norma Jeane (Addelyn Workman), a little girl whose childhood was marked by trauma. As an adult, she takes on her famous moniker and struggles through a career built on constant pressure, yet becomes a Hollywood icon, a respected actress, and an independent producer who calls the shots. But fulfilling her dreams doesn’t silence the voice in her head. It’s the one that keeps telling her she will never be enough.

Then there’s the Time Traveler (Remi Gangarossa). With a magic candle and Marilyn’s personal journal, he can travel into Marilyn’s world. He attempts to become her friend, a potential suitor…not like the long list of users and abusers. Each time he returns to the present, Marilyn’s demise stays the same. Yet he’s determined to change it with each leap. As Marilyn searches for what it means to be enough, the Time Traveler’s urge to intervene and save her grows stronger…almost to the point of obsession. Can he rewrite history to save her, knowing fate won’t let him?

The Time Traveler watches burning journal pages float past a mirror reading “you are NOT Enough” in Marilyn’s Dark Paradise.

“With a magic candle and Marilyn’s personal journal, he can travel into Marilyn’s world.”

For Remi Gangarossa, Marilyn’s Dark Paradise is more than just a short film. Gangarossa is a lifelong memorabilia collector who co-founded the Monroe Preservation Group. The group’s efforts helped secure landmark status for Marilyn’s Brentwood home and kept it out of the hands of greedy corporate Los Angeles developers. As an homage to the woman behind the legendary image, Gangarossa brought in objects from her life and filmed at real locations tied to Marilyn and her movies.

I would think every Marilyn Monroe fan has the same fantasy as Gangarossa. If she’d met me, I could have saved her. Marilyn’s Dark Paradise reminds me a lot of Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. Like Quentin Tarantino, Gangarossa puts his own spin on what should have been, blurring the line between reality and, dare I say, the hope of a happy ending. The real villain is the lie Marilyn tells herself, that she is not enough. Her family and associates told her that first, and eventually she tells it to herself.

Marilyn’s Dark Paradise is a beautiful and haunting homage to the starlet. I should note that the entire film has no dialogue. Kudos to both Stephanie Stuart and Gangarossa for conveying emotion and subtext without saying a word. Emphatic speeches and cheesy dialogue would have ruined this film. Speaking of our starlet, Gangarossa’s introduction of Stuart as Marilyn is brilliant. He starts with quick cutaways between her face and the real Marilyn’s that gently build more time, locking in Stuart as the lead, until we actually believe she is Marilyn Monroe. Very tastefully done, very beautifully done.

For screening information, visit the Marilyn’s Dark Paradise official website.