My Love Affair with Marriage – MVD Visual (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Luxembourg/USA/Latvia, 2022
Director: Signe Baumane|
Writer: Signe Baumane
Cast: Dagmara Dominczyk, Michele Pawk, Matthew Modine, Cameron Monaghan, Stephen Lang, Erica Schroeder, Emma Kenney

Release Date: September 10th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 108 Minutes 4 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, Latvian
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"This groundbreaking animated feature, "My Love Affair With Marriage", follows Zelma (Dagmara Dominczyk, HBO's "Succession") who navigates through a series of romantic encounters, each one shaping her understanding of love and marriage. With unflinching honesty, she grapples with the conflicting forces of passion and disillusionment, her own desires, fears, and insecurities, painting a raw and intimate portrait of the human heart." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 5/5

My Love Affair with Marriage comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36 GB

Feature: 26.9 GB

Image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a LPCM stereo mix in English. Both audio tracks sound excellent; the DTS-HD 5.1 audio track offers a slightly fuller sound experience. Included are removable English SDH, Spanish, French, and Latvian subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 4 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Presents Director Signe Baumane on the Making of ”My Love Affair With Marriage' (57 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Summary:

My Love Affair with Marriage is a deeply personal and semi-autobiographical film that draws on Signe Baumane's own personal experiences growing up in the Soviet Union. My Love Affair with Marriage is a comedy, a melodrama, and a musical all rolled into one; it is also a coming-of-age story that traces its protagonist, Zelma, from her birth into her early 20s. Themes like love and gender are explored in My Love Affair with Marriage, and in the case of the latter, how society plays a role in the latter. My love affair with marriage is also an exploration of remaining true to oneself in the face of tremendous societal pressure to conform.

From a production standpoint, My Love Affair with Marriage is a film that achieves its goals. And though the well-constructed narrative does a superb job showcasing Zelma’s peaks and valleys, Some might find the voiceover narrative to be clinically dry in its explanation of what's happening to the protagonist. Also, the narrative relies heavily on musical interludes that provide further insight into Zelma’s psyche. The use of traditional animation style greatly aids the story that unfolds, and all of the performances are spot on. Ultimately, My Love Affair with Marriage is a thought-provoking film that deals with universal themes, making it a film that connects with everyone.

MVD Visual's My Love Affair with Marriage Blu-ray is an excellent release that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and an informative discussion with Signe Baumane, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer