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Film: Martha Marcy May Marlene
Year: 2011
Director: Sean Durkin
Writer: Sean Durkin
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson and John Hawkes
Review:
This film follows a young woman, who is played by Elizabeth Olsen. We see at the beginning her running into the woods and followed by a young man. They meet up at a diner, where it is kind of a weird conversation between them. Olsen then calls her sister, who is played by Sarah Paulson, who comes and picks her up.
The film takes place in the present, but it is synced up with the past and what happened to her. We learn that she lived within a weird cult that lived off the land, or so they say. The leader is played by John Hawkes. He seems like a nice guy, but we get a scene where he is having sex with Olsen while she is asleep. There are a few males with a lot of women within this cult and Hawkes has his way with all of them. From what I gathered, the other males are there to go and find unsuspecting women to join.
The film then has Olsen in the present trying to fit into society again through living with her sister and her husband, who is played by Hugh Dancy. She has a lot of problems in doing this like she goes skinny dipping in the middle of the day, which gets her a scolding from her sister. She gets into bed with her sister and her husband while they are making love and it is things like this.
Her views and ideals are skewed from living with the cult and she is having a tough time readjusting. Her sister and her sister’s husband are as well as her living there is putting a strain on their relationship. Will Olsen be able to readjust? Will her sister be able to get her the help she needs?
This film is weird to start off. Nothing really happens, but for some reason I was entranced and really enjoyed it. The story is solid in that the business with the cult is kind of scary that people get mixed up in things like this and have no idea what they are getting themselves into. The further along in the movie, the weirder things get.
The acting is solid in this film as well, especially from Olsen, who I was impressed by. I’ve seen Hawkes in other things, but his role was creepy and he played it perfectly here.
I would recommend giving this one a viewing. This film is a slow-burn and build up, but it is more about the internal struggle of Olsen and what she has to deal with. The ending is abrupt and I thought I should warn you, but I didn’t have a problem with it. I would say if this sounds good, give it a viewing.
My Rating: 7 out of 10