Martha Marcy May Marlene
Review by Anthony Morris
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Martha Marcy May Marlene
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Martha (Elizabeth Olsen – yes, she's the sister of the Olsen twins)
escapes from a cult in the wilds of America, only they don't seem to
try to stop her all that much and already Martha Marcy May Marlene’s unsettling tone is firmly established. Why would they just let her go? Turns
out that once Martha is picked up by her estranged sister (Sarah
Paulson) and taken back to her house that even with hundreds of
kilometres between her and cult leader Patrick (John Hawkes) a bond's
been established that can't easily be broken. Problem there
is, the more we see of Martha – who Patrick re-named Marcy May, in one
of the creepier ways he makes the cult members his – the more we see
that she's not really ready for the outside world now, and the more
flashbacks we see to her time in the cult the more we see the damage
they did to her. Martha Marcy May Marlene is
a film that creeps up on you slowly (much like the cult did to Martha),
slowly drawing you in before revealing the darkness at its heart. The
way she can't connect with her sister, and the way the sister is too
busy nursing old grudges to really embrace her sister only adds to the
tension, as she doesn’t really see what’s happening right in front of
her – which becomes an even bigger concern as the true nature of
Patrick’s cult becomes apparent. Olsen’s performance is
astonishing, going from mildly confident young woman to complete wreck
without ever taking it over the top, and the way it’s all but
impossible to get a bead on her – she can make crazy seem perfectly
normal and vice versa – is another factor in why this film is such a
nail-biter. It’s not a traditional thriller, or a horror
film, or a character drama, but it is one of the tensest, most gripping
experiences you’ll have at the movies this year.
4.5 out
of 5
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Australian release: 2nd February,
2012
Official
Site: Martha Marcy May Marlene
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Christopher Abbott, Brady Corbet, Hugh Dancy, Maria
Dizzia, Julia Garner, John Hawkes, Louisa Krause, Sarah Paulson
Director: Sean Durkin
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