Review of Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) by Steve F — 04 Apr 2012

Theres a moment in Martha Marcy May Marlene where Martha's sister Lucy and husband Patrick are arguing over Martha's recent behavior. Martha has been recently taken in by them after escaping from a cult, the shot focuses completely in on Martha's face through a door way and we get a glimpse of her fragile psyche. The yelling is a moot point, Martha's been taken through a traumatic cult following, and conditioned to a set lifestyle, the yelling doesn't phase her. There's a mental exhaustion in her face as she attempts to disambiguate what is currently happening from what has happened. She knows full well where she is, her difficulty is in adjusting to the new lifestyle. Through the film we get glimpses into her past, shots move quickly from old memories to the present situation and Martha all the while is having trouble adjusting to her new life with her sister and husband, she even outright asks them if married couples still fuck. She is puzzled by their bewilderment and doesn't understand why anyone would have trouble answering such a question. Even further she finds nothing wrong with walking in on them during sex simply because she didn't want to be alone.

Elizabeth Olsen gives an outstanding performance as Martha, casting a range of non-verbal emotions that convey more than just a damaged girl. This is someone who's life is constantly in question, and confused by the way of living which presents itself. The dynamic between Martha and her sister and husband is interesting to say the least, Martha represents a free spirit who's life has led her astray and into utter chaos while her sister and husband wear the buttoned down shirts of upper society. They are worlds apart, and the communication between the two has no bridge. It's even further damaged by Martha's behavior which unsettles her supportive sister and forces them to their breaking point. They never completely understand Martha but in many ways her situation is far beyond their capability of understanding. It's a devastating case of a life fully outside traditional conformity.

Provocative in its delivery, Martha Marcy May Marlene works with a relatively simple dynamic, allowing the audience to see Martha's world as she does, and quickly we become as unsure as her character, many times having to hold a second before knowing whether shes in the past or in her present. Martha's reality is so warped, she has no right and wrong of traditional values, watch as she skinny dips in the lake much to the chagrin of her yuppy in-takers. Its not that shes rude in any facet, its simply that her reality has become so damaged by her cult followers she is unaccustomed to how anyone outside that world behaves. There's a moment when shes first taken in where shes given a shower and allowed to sleep, rather than unwrap herself from the towel, she simply falls on the bed curled up, still soaking wet and falls asleep. Shes embedded in herself, attempting to disentangle her past but her often befuddling current living situation. To her sister who takes her in and her husband shes simply a vagabond ragamuffin who they look down upon and quickly becomes a burden. It's a shame they never realize Martha's past, its even more a shame that Martha cant verbalize her torment. To her it is simply a reality, one that she has difficulty expressing much less understanding.

Martha Marcy May Marlene could focus in more on what got Martha to her present situation, it could have focused in more on what happens to her in the future (more than a few will be frustrated by the films ending), however that's not what Martha Marcy May Marlene is going for. Its unique in its somewhat one dimensional approach of focusing in on the blurred life of Martha, and keeping the audience as disorientated as the character herself. We are in Martha's world, we see her past like no one else has and we experience her delusional present as she does, that's why when the film ends were fully locked into her, and wholly unsure of whether what we're seeing is real or a piece of the past filtering its way into our own paranoid world. The film delivers without flaw.