Martha Marcy May Marlene is a powerful psychological thriller starring Elizabeth Olsen as Martha, a young woman rapidly unraveling amidst her attempt to reclaim a normal life after fleeing from a cult and its charismatic leader (John Hawkes). Seeking help from her estranged older sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) and brother-in-law (Hugh Dancy), Martha is unable and unwilling to reveal the truth about her disappearance. When her memories trigger a chilling paranoia that her former cult could still be pursuing her, the line between Martha's reality and delusion begins to blur.
Martha Marcy May Marlene is not only one of the biggest tongue twisters in the world but is one of best character dramas of the year. It centers on a character that is compelling enough to reveal two phases of her life at specific times to show the audience just how much control a cult has gained over her. It dominates the screen time and reveals with fascinating detail exactly how it happened and what becomes of it.
The film takes place immediately after she escapes this cult and begins to live with her sister and brother-in-law. Through series of timely placed flashbacks, you see how she cannot do certain things in current time due to things they reveal during her time with the cult. Things from simply pouring a cup of water to sleeping come with oddities and difficulties that seem somewhat insignificant to us are a chore for our protagonist. The film’s accomplishment of establishing the cult into her life at a slow pace works wonders. You begin to understand the cult and the purposes of its core just as you learn about the protagonist. The two gel into a pace that eventually feels like one thing. The editing of jumping between timelines with no warning help reveal tidbits you wouldn’t normally catch, and helps setup the ending of the film. A lot of people don’t like the ending because they probably didn’t understand it. If you paid attention to the similarities between he two timelines, the ending shouldn’t be as sudden as you thought. It has a pretty straight forward scenario that can only end in two ways and it does up to the audience too decide which one it will be. My guess, go with the one that makes the film feel better.
This is a cast that is controlled by two people. The newcomer Elizabeth Olsen, who is indeed a sister of the Olsen twins. She is great here, partially because it comes as a shock to some people because nobody thought an Olsen sister could act, but also because she controls the role ironically to a character whose actions have been twisted around one man. That man being John Hawkes, the leader of the cult. Hawkes has very quickly established himself as a threat to win an Oscar once again, and will surely be nominated for the second time in as many years. As the leader, he is charismatic, deceiving, and powerful despite his form simply because of the way Hawkes portrays himself. He has moved himself up the list of actors I’d pay to see in a movie.
Martha Marcy May Marlene is a rare film with an evener rarer subject matter. It’s wonderfully made; from its acting, to its score, and in the editing room. It is just all around well-done. When you finally get a chance to see this limited release gem, make sure you don’t pass it up.
Overall Score: 8/10
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