Review of Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) by Adler N — 01 Mar 2012

Haunting, yes, and certainly genuine textbook film-making. But is it twisted? Alas, no. This psychological drama is more dramatic than it attempts to be.

Elizabeth Olsen is Martha, Marcy, May and Marlene. Well, not really. She mainly plays Martha, who as you go along throughout the movie would tell that she is having some sort of psychological problem. But that is not why we are watching this. Usually, when we see characters being dogged by their traumatizing past, there is sympathy, empathy and a sense of morality that is challenged. Here, Martha is devoid of those values. She is like the stranger amongst the crowd.

So who is Martha anyway? Frankly, the film does not reveal much from the first few scenes. It opens with Martha being stranded in an unknown place, lost and apprehensive about something. As we go on, the scenes play themselves out in a mysterious past-present chronological mode that moviegoers have become accustomed to when watching psychological dramas. However, that is not to say the movie is cliche in its methods; it adeptly balances the time-frame in a way that prevents the viewer from distractedly asking 'when' or 'what just happened?'. It is subtly suspenseful at creating a sense of dread.

Hence, the next question would (still) be "Who is Martha?". Now this is where the effects of psychology set in. One minute we see Martha in a rural shack with people who seem almost as strange as her. Led by Patrick (John Hawkes), this group of people are like a fraternity, who talk of 'cleansing' themselves. Here, the assumption is that Martha is at a place where people seem to have gone the 'other' way of life. But the next minute she is being taken care of by her sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson) and her egoistic husband Ted (Hugh Dancy). Obviously, this is the present of Martha. She is now surrounded by civilization.

This dual representation of (Martha's) life is the intrigue of the film. In one scene when Ted becomes increasingly frustrated by Martha's nonchalant behavior, she questions whether success in life is measured by money and perception. This scene is important simply because it tells us who Martha is, at least perceptively. She is the girl who does not care or understand the norms of society and as a result, feels extremely out-of-place.

The bleak outlook of Martha is also accentuated by the camerawork. Lighting is, of course, an essential aspect when it comes to creating that dramatic scene filled with trepidation and anxiety. And for most scenes, Martha is shot with her face against the light, so that her shadows fall to get that isolated figure. In the scenes where there is little light, the camera takes its time by slowing down the scenes and focusing on her emotional face, before moving on to the next scene. This gives Olsen a lot of room to show her acting skills.

Martha Marcy May Marlene sounds like a mouthful, but it should be a surprise for viewers. Psychological breakdowns always are.

Personally*... John Hawkes appears more demented than in Winter's Bone.