Nick Cave has named the Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde his favourite film of all time.

The musician, who composed the score for the Netflix film with Warren Ellis, was asked to name his favourite film ever by a fan on his newsletter The Red Hand Files.

In response to the question, Cave simply wrote: “Blonde. Love, Nick.”

Directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Ana de Armas, Blonde is based on a novel by Joyce Carol Oates and is described as a “reimagining” of Monroe’s life.

A synopsis reads: “Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe. From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.”

Before the film was released last month, the film attracted controversy over its NC-17 rating in the US due to graphic scenes. The film also divided critics, with some deeming it as “exploitative” and “problematic” in its depiction of Monroe as a victim.

Others, however, praised the film as an effective psychological horror. In a four-star review, NME wrote: “It’s not an easy watch and there is a lingering sense of a film trying to have its cake and eat it. It underlines the point that Monroe’s acting prowess was overlooked without focusing on her craft… But there’s a humanity to de Armas’ performance that cuts through the exploitation and by immersing us at the centre of her slowly shattering psyche, it’s an ambitious trespass against good taste.

“Like any effective horror, Blonde unsettles you long after the credits roll.”

Cave previously collaborated with Dominik on 2016 documentary film One More Time With Feeling, which documents the recording of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds’ sixteenth album, Skeleton Tree.