Review of Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) by Gary N — 08 Aug 2012

An arthouse drama following a young womans attempts to return to a normal life after 2 years in a seemingly Mid-West American rural cult. My main disappointment with this is not the film-its the trailer. It splices together a haunting set of images from the film and quite deliberately points towards a kind of urban horror thriller. It isn't anything like that. So I didnt get a pacy nerve wrenching thriller.

However, it still has an emotional, disturbing impact from the performance of Olsen as Martha (superb), whose learnt behaviours and attitudes ingrained from her cult experiences filter through her attempts to intergrate into a "normal" life again. There is also a strong sense of her paranoia, Is she being watched and followed? The director does not press these elements, veering away from staple thriller territory and merely following Olsen's expressions and concerns. Like her, you question without any certainty the feeling and suspicions she conveys about the cult coming for her; following her. Its deliberately ambiguous to relate her fears and suspicions-you simply cannot be sure and that unknowing is enough for anyone to fear.

This is made all the more worrying when the short flashback sequences occur and the warped ideals of the cult are visited. Seemingly grounded, fair, loving and supportive-this is subverted by the male patriach leadership of "Patrick" played equally well by John Hawes. Something in me still wishes this would have gone down a more thriller orientated route-retaining the real feel. It certainly has room for it.

A slow burn haunting tale of the brain washing effect of a warped cult.