Materialists, 2025 - ★★★★
Monday, September 15, 2025
Between someone perfect on paper who never quite makes you feel truly at ease, and a mess of a person who always feels like home, the film asks: Who and how do you choose?
The Materialists invites us to reflect on how we seek and perceive love and life partners. It also challenges us to examine whether our desires align with our values, and if our actions will ultimately lead to a fulfilling life.
I appreciate the approach of telling the story through the perspective of a matchmaker, someone you'd expect to understand love and life partnership better than anyone else. And yet…
Sadly, I'm surprised by how underdeveloped the story is compared to the director's debut film, Past Lives. It feels like this movie needed a few more drafts to refine the narrative and deeply explore its themes.
The film could have drawn a clearer contrast between seeking love and seeking qualities in a partner, with deeper exploration into the dilemma that arises when the essence of love is overshadowed by materialism and when love is not enough to overcome the lifestyle differences. Because of this, the central message about how materialism clouds our values and hinders our pursuit of love in this movie doesn't drive the point home to me.
In my view, matchmaking services could have served as the true centerpiece of the story, using the main characters to illustrate this concept, rather than approaching it the other way around as the movie does. This shift could have strengthened the story theme more.
Additionally, it's unfortunate that the movie invites us to think more than feel the emotional connection, often doing the opposite of the "Show, Don't Tell" principle. This leaves the film feeling distant rather than immersive, making it more like watching a performance, and lacking the intimate feel from situational sensations typical of a romance film. I'm not sure it works, at least not for me, though I still like the movie enough.
The film conveys the protagonist's shifting resolution, but lacks clarity about what drives these changes in both character and circumstance. There are no significant driving forces building within the story that integrated with its themes and storylines. The story misses natural, rising tension or situational revelations to drive these realizations home.
Why the change of heart? Why choose this over the other, expecting this time to be different, even better?
Instead, pivotal moments happen through dialogue that, while beautifully written, feels unearned within the narrative's flow.
It’s especially baffling because her debut film, Past Lives, had a remarkable structure with three timelines that clearly revealed the characters’ growth and realizations. In this movie, the story seem to lack a sense of flowing progression.
On the upside, I love the film’s visuals and framing—these, alongside strong performances, largely carry the story. Though the three main characters feel underdeveloped, each needing more convincing emotional evolution, the actors are all beautiful people and well-suited for a romance movie.
The ending is quite great but doesn’t grab me by the hand and pull my heart into the experience of love the way Past Lives did. I also enjoyed the mini-interviews scattered throughout, which cleverly explore what people seek in partners and reinforce the theme of materialistic relationships.
What truly stands out for me is the closing scene during the credits: where characters signing their marriage licenses in a room filled with couples waiting their turn. This simple yet wholesome moment beautifully captures the essence of seeking a life partner—being in a room full of love, committing to love one another for the rest of their lives. Watching that scene filled my heart so much, I wish the entire movie could have made me feel the same way.
It’s a bit of a shame that The Materialists missed the mark for me, since I love Past Lives so much, it becomes one of my all-time favorites. This film feels like a step down, and I can’t help but sense wasted potential throughout the story. Still, I recommend it to anyone interested in the topic of modern relationships, and, of course, to any fans of these actors.