Review of Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) by Brandon S — 27 Sep 2013

This brilliant psychological drama introduced me to two names that I won't forget any time soon: Elizabeth Olsen, the film's star, and Sean Durkin, the film's brilliant director.

Something that really turns off a lot of people to indie films is that many are paced very slow. That's not a problem this movie has. There's so much tension built up in this film that it's ridiculous. Elizabeth Olsen creates two characters here: Martha and Marcy May. Both characters are one person, and both reveal things about her. Olsen takes advantage of having two characters to work with and really creates an amazing on-screen performance with some incredible layers.

Another aspect of the directing that I loved was the cinematography. It's a basic aspect of directing that many directors have done well before, but its done especially good here in that Durkin has some fairly complex themes to convey and he does his job beautifully. He makes every shot count, nothing ever feels like an afterthought. An amazing job for a first timer.

Another thing that made this movie truly fantastic was the acting. Of course Elizabeth Olsen was great, but the big standout for me was John Hawkes. I love John Hawkes in anything. He's a master, and its a damn shame that he, as well as Olsen, didn't get Oscar nods for their performances. In this role Hawkes has this ability to be likable and almost romantic while also being deceptive and cruel. He's a character with a lot of layers that even though he never truly came to fruision for me he was still a fascinating piece of the story.

This movie just flat-out knocked my socks off. Its brilliant directing and acting will have you hooked from the get-go. One of the finest indie films I've ever seen!