Review of Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) by Barry G — 03 Aug 2013

If you are the type of person who lays awake at night wondering, "what would happen if a fairly non-descript, middle class white girl without much of a personality fell in with a group of sinister hippies living in a beat-up barn in the Catskills?" then this is the movie for you.

Starring the Olsen the sister who isn't a rich twin as a girl whose name I couldn't figure out, this was a character study of someone without much character. Passive, quiet and easily manipulated, Marcy May Madeline Mary bounces between realities, although mousy in each one and searching for direction from anyone nearby. I guess the seemingly complex structure of the film was meant to distract from the fact that nothing happens, no one does anything dramatic or entertaining, and the most dramatic scene (SPOILER!) involves a grungy chick stabbing a middle-aged guy in the back.

This film isn't terribly made but like so many Sundance films takes itself far too seriously and focuses on the travails of someone who happens to be very much like the typical Sundance filmgoer. Ignore all the raves and watch a Cary Grant movie instead!