It is the lesson of communication that I really take from Marriage Story. The relationship between Charlie and Nicole is broken by an infidelity (which, FYI, is something Charlie gets off with incredibly lightly) and a need for Nicole to establish herself on her own terms. Their relationship post-separation becomes muddied the second the two stop talking; Nicole, perhaps more hurt than she realises, refuses to speak to a mediator. This leads to lawyers getting involved who reframe the narrative of the relationship to suit their own purposes. Watching the (excellent) Laura Dern and Ray Liotta manipulate innocent incidents in the Charlie and Nicole story into deadly weapons to launch at the other party, it is clear that this isn't what Charlie or Nicole wanted. But their ability to communicate is gone and, as a result, something that would have always been sad, also becomes incredibly ugly.