Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson’s Marriage Story is currently being utilized in a way few could have predicted. Directed by Noah Baumbach, the 2019 drama follows Charlie (Driver) and Nicole Barber (Johansson) as they navigate a bi-coastal divorce and face custody issues surrounding their son. The movie received critical acclaim, including six Oscar nominations, and one win by Laura Dern.
Now, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal, an audio clip from Marriage Story is being used to scare off wolves.WSJ reports that gray wolves are currently terrorizing livestock across the American West, and their endangered status has essentially forbidden lethal deterrents. However, the growing attacks on sheep and cattle have inspired a new plan.
The United States Department of Agriculture has begun employing drones blasting audio clips from loudspeakers to scare the endangered wolves away from livestock herds. The clips range from AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” to “fireworks, gunshots and people arguing.” However, WSJ also reports that, “One recording is of the fight between Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in the movie ‘Marriage Story.’”
According to Paul Wolf, a USDA district supervisor in Oregon, there are reasons behind using these audio clips. Wolf stated, “I need the wolves to respond and know that, hey, humans are bad.” Surprisingly, current data seems to szuggest the scheme is working, although it’s uncertain how long this will last once the wolves get used to the drones.
What This Means For Marriage Story
Marriage Story is a brilliant film, as evidenced by its many accolades, but its current usage in scaring away wolves is quite strange. That being said, it does speak volumes as to Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson’s performances in the 2019 movie, with their argument being explosive enough to be categorized alongside AC/DC and Five Finger Death Punch.
On a deeper level, the entire situation is somewhat poignant. In trying to reduce harm to the environment, the USDA is taking measures to show how humans are not to be messed with by using a piece of art – Marriage Story. Therefore, Marriage Story is almost representative of humanity as a whole to show “humans are bad” to these wolves.
Our Take On Marriage Story’s Strange Usage
While the concept of the Barkers’ explosive arguments in Marriage Story being used to show that “humans are bad” is markedly hilarious, the USDA could not have picked a better film to use for their drone project. Marriage Story earned its fantastic 95% Tomatometer and 85% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes because of Driver and Johansson’s realistic and deeply human performances.
Noah Baumbach’s personal connection to Marriage Story also made it a particularly poignant success, with experience gained from his own divorce. However, it was predominantly Driver and Johansson’s performances which made this film a masterpiece, a highly popular meme, and the perfect wolf-scaring material, which is why it is one of those Netflix movies we can’t live without.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, Rotten Tomatoes
Marriage Story
9/10
- Release Date
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December 6, 2019
- Runtime
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136 minutes
- Director
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Noah Baumbach
