Review of Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) by Jon-James H — 27 Jul 2012

It's always a good sign when you don't where a film is going to take you. From past experience though, when you're halfway through a movie and you still don't the film's direction it's usually a sign disappointment looms around the corner. Martha Marcy May Marlene is that rare exception where a film is so well put together that it proves difficult not to get lost in the lives of its characters. By the time I came to the last ten minutes of the film I was so wrapped up in Elizabeth Olsen's character that, for the first time I could remember, I didn't mind if the film's ending fell short of my expectations. Not that it did, but to feel so satisfied with the way it had developed before it reached it's conclusion was a very unique experience.

MMMM traverses genres and defies convention to create something that sticks with you once it's over. It creates debate and engages the mind without being obtuse or farfetched.