‘Diorama’ Netflix Movie Review - Just Science, Hardly Any Entertainment

In the beginning, the evolution of the relationship between man and woman is shown and how it affected marriages. Frida and Björn are a married couple. We can see their journey right from the point when they realized that they were pregnant to ten years later when they were proud parents of three kids and have been happily married. As time passed, the spark between them vanished, and they sought adventures outside their marriage. This led to Frida cheating on her husband as she wasn’t happy with her marriage because the majority of responsibilities fell on her shoulders, and the husband wasn’t there to share them.

We also get to see the effect divorce can have on children, which is huge. At such a small age, they can’t understand what their parents are going through. Hence, it takes a little while for them to adjust to the situation. Frida and Björn’s children are going through the same. The parents take their turns spending time with the kids, but they often feel the absence of their mother.

Concepts of lust and extramarital affairs have been explained in great detail. The scientific reasoning behind them has also been provided with the support of various studies and the genes responsible. Different questions were raised about increasing divorce rates. The film discusses the various phases through which a marriage goes like Pair bonding, Boredom, Reignition, The Coolidge effect, Pair bonding patterns, Separation Trauma, and Survival.

Various scientific explanations like sex produce dopamine which creates attachment have been provided repeatedly. Dopamine, oxytocin, and genes are the most common words that can be heard. With all this data, the movie tries its best to explain the things that have been shown, but it doesn’t impress the audience that much. 

With each passing phase, a pair of animals are shown who express their feelings. A lot of innovative ideas have been used, but they fail to fulfill their purpose. The movie is more of a philosophy and scientific-based than dealing with the pair itself. So those who have an interest in knowing how certain genes and hormones influence human behavior can watch the movie. 

In my opinion, Diorama is a boring film that instead of exploring the dynamics, focuses on the history of the evolution of relationships and how things are changing with time. The idea behind the film was perfect and unique, but it wasn’t executed properly. To make such films that are backed up by science, they need to be more engaging so that the audience can relate. After the first half, the maximum audience wouldn’t like to continue watching the film as the second half is filled with just fights and nothing else. Throughout the movie, several questions have been raised, like whether monogamy is inherited or environmental, but the answer lies in one’s comprehension of the subject. 

Final Score – [7/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
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