Review of Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) by Cheyne L — 24 May 2013

It's probably too realistic for it's own good .. this is usually the type of film that I would love, underground feel, indie stylings, psychologically twisted, but it just never took itself to that next level, dwelling too much in the deliberately slow pacing of Marcy May's identity crisis while trying to assume her old identity of Martha Marlene .

. that's the significance of the title, that this disturbed women, broken by a cult, assumed a new identity of Marcy May, who has gotten literally in between Martha Marlene's psyche and won't let go .

. I could never really tell how much she hated or loved the Marcy May side of herself, and that aspect, while compelling, ultimately became muddled to the point where I doubted the authenticity of her 'damage' and thought well maybe she's just a bad person, and to what end is she going to extort her sister? but in a painfully abrupt ending, we'll never find out, where if in any movie there needed to be some sort of resolution, it should have been this one, because while I can appreciate films that are all about the journey, it didn't feel right to leave things that wide open .

. this film is often engaging in the moment, but doesn't give justice to why it's making the viewer feel that way ..