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Amazon.com
Powered by an amazing central performance by Elizabeth Olsen, this unstuck-in-time mood piece stands as the most unnerving kind of horror film: the sort where the unease builds and builds, without any easy resolutions. Olsen plays the multiple-named title character, a member of a remote commune held in the thrall of its leader (the excellent John Hawkes, deepening both the menace and charisma he displayed in Winter's Bone). When she temporarily regains her senses and escapes, she ends up under the care of her sister (Sarah Paulson), a well-to-do newlywed who is understandably baffled by her sibling's three-year disappearance. As Martha attempts to make sense of her new surroundings and come to terms with her past, she begins to receive menacing hints that her former friends may not be so willing to let her move on. Writer-director Sean Durkin makes an astonishingly assured feature debut, moving between reality, fantasy, and memory with an unpredictable, hazy grace. Aided by a spooky sound design and some ominous camerawork, the filmmaker has fashioned a gripping puzzle of a movie, one where the out-of-order storytelling creates a whole greater than its parts. Viewers expecting a clear-cut narrative may well be frustrated by the paths that Martha Marcy May Marlene chooses to take, most notably in the final open-ended shot, which raises a number of potential unresolved questions without any answers. Those in a susceptible mood, however, may find moments from the film lingering in their consciousness for some time. The disc includes a memorably creepy song performed by Hawkes, a brief yet fascinating look at cult mechanics, and a haunting short by Durkin, which serves as a semi-prequel to the film. Be prepared for discussion afterwards. --Andrew Wright
Product Description
In her stunning feature film debut, Elizabeth Olsen delivers "an electrifying, star-is-born performance" (Rolling Stone) in this gripping psychological thriller that is "far and away one of the year's best!" (Associated Press) After escaping from a dangerous cult and the watchful eye of its charismatic leader (Academy Awardr Nominee John Hawkes), a young woman named Martha (Olsen) tries to reclaim a normal life with her family. But the haunting memories from Martha's past trigger a chilling paranoia - and nowhere seems safe as the fragile line between her reality and delusions begin to blur.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
75 of 83 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Martha Marcy May Marlene marks the debut of two talents, the director, Sean Durkin, and the actress, Elizabeth Olsen. Both actor and director show a kind of assured performance that seems relegated to those who are either new to a scene, when talent has been building up for some time and only now has had a chance to unveil itself, or to older creative types, who have enough success behind them that they no longer fear failure (the in-between is usually the tricky part). Elizabeth Olsen (and here I'm required to tell you that she is the younger sister to the famed Full House Olsen twins) plays Martha, a girl who has spent an indeterminate amount of time in a cult hidden away in upstate New York. She eventually flees the confines of the commune and is taken in by her sister and brother-in-law who own a spacious lake house in Connecticut.
From here the film is divided into two narratives, one chronicling Martha's ordeal in the Manson-like collective and the other detailing her return to polite society at her sister's place. We learn from the former narrative that the cult takes in runaways and is overseen by a charismatic leader, Patrick, played by John Hawkes. While the cult members bandy about pseudo-New Wave jargon, we hear talk of energies, the specific philosophy of the cult remains vague. As one might expect, Patrick has intimate access to most of the women, as do the other men on the compound, to varying degrees. The cult members share duties taking care of children and tending to a garden, and they hope one day to go fully off the grid.
The second narrative follows Martha as she attempts to reconnect with her sister Lucy and return to normalcy. For Martha, the lake house is an even more foreign world than the cult. She still plays by the rules set up for her by Patrick. She goes skinny dipping in the middle of the day. And when she feels lonely in her bedroom, she has no qualms about lying down on the foot of Lucy's bed, even if her sister is in mid-coitus. As Martha's actions become increasingly bizarre, her brother-in-law puts more pressure on Lucy to hand her sister over to an institution. As we learn what Martha has gone through, it becomes more and more difficult to sympathize with Lucy and her husband's frustrations. But while Lucy's husband, Ted, often comes off as a prick (tellingly, he has a well enunciated British accent), it is hard to blame Lucy's reticence to take on the responsibility of handling Martha on her own.
Even though the two narratives are chronologically back to back--the story of Martha's time in the cult followed by her time with her sister--neither is prized over the other. In fact, it is difficult for me to describe events that occur at the compound as flashbacks because for Martha these events do not exist in the past. She carries the trauma with her. Durkin, the director, excises most establishing shots from the movie, making it difficult to tell whether the next scene begins at the lake house or the compound. The title of the film is a series of names the main character goes by. Her birth name is obviously Martha. She is given the name Marcy May by Patrick when she joins the cult. And Marlene is a communal name used by all the women in the cult to answer the phone. Martha is a woman who has been stripped of her ego and exists in the liminal space between "is" and "was."
Elizabeth Olsen does a fantastic job of portraying a woman who has undergone immense pain. While this trauma does not always manifest itself, it always lingers underneath the surface of her performance. Likewise, Durkin imbues even the most mundane scenes with a sense of tension. It is far, far too early to tell where either Olsen or Durkin's career will go at this point, but I would be interested in seeing the two work together again. Regardless, I have a feeling plenty more will come from both of these talents.
From here the film is divided into two narratives, one chronicling Martha's ordeal in the Manson-like collective and the other detailing her return to polite society at her sister's place. We learn from the former narrative that the cult takes in runaways and is overseen by a charismatic leader, Patrick, played by John Hawkes. While the cult members bandy about pseudo-New Wave jargon, we hear talk of energies, the specific philosophy of the cult remains vague. As one might expect, Patrick has intimate access to most of the women, as do the other men on the compound, to varying degrees. The cult members share duties taking care of children and tending to a garden, and they hope one day to go fully off the grid.
The second narrative follows Martha as she attempts to reconnect with her sister Lucy and return to normalcy. For Martha, the lake house is an even more foreign world than the cult. She still plays by the rules set up for her by Patrick. She goes skinny dipping in the middle of the day. And when she feels lonely in her bedroom, she has no qualms about lying down on the foot of Lucy's bed, even if her sister is in mid-coitus. As Martha's actions become increasingly bizarre, her brother-in-law puts more pressure on Lucy to hand her sister over to an institution. As we learn what Martha has gone through, it becomes more and more difficult to sympathize with Lucy and her husband's frustrations. But while Lucy's husband, Ted, often comes off as a prick (tellingly, he has a well enunciated British accent), it is hard to blame Lucy's reticence to take on the responsibility of handling Martha on her own.
Even though the two narratives are chronologically back to back--the story of Martha's time in the cult followed by her time with her sister--neither is prized over the other. In fact, it is difficult for me to describe events that occur at the compound as flashbacks because for Martha these events do not exist in the past. She carries the trauma with her. Durkin, the director, excises most establishing shots from the movie, making it difficult to tell whether the next scene begins at the lake house or the compound. The title of the film is a series of names the main character goes by. Her birth name is obviously Martha. She is given the name Marcy May by Patrick when she joins the cult. And Marlene is a communal name used by all the women in the cult to answer the phone. Martha is a woman who has been stripped of her ego and exists in the liminal space between "is" and "was."
Elizabeth Olsen does a fantastic job of portraying a woman who has undergone immense pain. While this trauma does not always manifest itself, it always lingers underneath the surface of her performance. Likewise, Durkin imbues even the most mundane scenes with a sense of tension. It is far, far too early to tell where either Olsen or Durkin's career will go at this point, but I would be interested in seeing the two work together again. Regardless, I have a feeling plenty more will come from both of these talents.
56 of 68 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deeply Unsettling, With a Star-Making Performance from Elizabeth Olsen
January 17, 2012
Format:Blu-ray
A young woman called Marcy May (played by newcomer Elizabeth Olsen, remember her name) flees from an abusive cult and calls her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) to pick her up. Her sister, who calls her Martha, hasn't seen her in over a year and finds Martha deliberately vague about where she has been. Lucy brings her to the large home she shares with her husband Ted (Hugh Dancy) and Martha's time in the cult is revealed through intercut flashbacks. Branded Marcy May by Patrick (John Hawkes), the charismatic leader, the commune consists of few men and many women, most from troubled backgrounds. The women are assigned individual duties, but the one they all share is to sleep with Patrick. The film wisely avoids giving too many details about the cult itself and what its basis is, but fills in all the necessary details otherwise.
This 2011 indie thriller marks the debut of writer/director Sean Durkin who has fashioned a quiet, powerful psychological drama that introduces the world to a terrific new actress. Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of two very famous twins, turns in a bold, Oscar-caliber piece of acting that allows her to successfully break from the stigma of having world-famous siblings. She's a remarkable talent and establishes her own niche as an actress, becoming a star on her own terms. The film is strong on its own merits, but, once you've seen it, it's hard to forget Olsen and even easier to forget her famous sisters.
This is a terrific debut for Durkin. Labeled as a thriller, it moves in a low-key fashion that doesn't go for easy "thrills" and instead opts for a deeply unsettling tone. The story, which uses shifting timelines in an intentionally disorienting way, never clues you in to where it's heading, but holds your attention rapt getting there. Juxtaposing this with the somber mood and static cinematography, Martha Marcy May Marlene is riveting.
Fresh off an Oscar nomination, John Hawkes is quietly sinister as Patrick. Rather than playing the cult leader as flamboyant or inherently crazy, Hawkes plays him as a soft-spoken, gentle figure and comes off as so creepy without ever trying. Physically, it's not a radical departure from his powerful, Oscar-nominated role as Teardrop in Winter's Bone but the performances are wildly different. Hawkes has been active for a long time, but it's been a mesmerizing ride watching him grow into his own as an actor, tackling such varied roles across different genres. He proves with each new performance to have an incredible amount of range and I believe his best work may still be ahead of him. With this and Winter's Bone he's showing himself as a force to be reckoned with. Choosing subtlety over bravura, rarely breaking from the soft-spoken creature he establishes, it's triumphant how his characterization of Patrick convincingly allows his presence to hang over the movie in the same way it hangs over Martha. Like Olsen, his performance is Oscar-caliber but perhaps too subtle to capture the eye of Academy voters.
This brings me back to Elizabeth Olsen. A beautiful woman in a strangely unique way, she has a very child-like look that betrays the amount of emotion she's capable of conveying. It probably helps the quality of her performance, making it so much more unexpected. She really plays this role beautifully and bravely where another actress in her position could've unwisely taken an easy route and capitalized on her name rather than her talent. It appears that Olsen has honed her craft and waited for the right opportunity to strike. Considering she gives one of the most depressing, daring, and impressive performances of 2011, she has made the right decision. This is an actress going places.
Martha Marcy May Marlene is less a thriller than a riveting, psychological portrait. It's distinctly separate from a Hollywood film, but too sophisticated for the indie label. Durkin's film is brave and unflinching, a film that could have only been made on the indie circuit. This is not because of the film's controversial elements, which aren't too graphic, but the way he unwaveringly looks at the effect the cult has had on Martha and refuses to betray the very realistic scenario. The film's final shot is abrupt and ambiguous, but far from anticlimactic. An obvious metaphor, it brings just the right amount of closure that can be afforded to this story and character. An obvious metaphor, yes, but certainly not an ineffective one. This shot is frightening and unforgettable; a brave, sad ending to the film. It's so deceptively simple, yet towering in its impact. I know this may give the impression that the film ends violently, but it creates more paranoia with a simple, unmoving shot than anything horrific could have. Martha Marcy May Marlene is a late inclusion to my top ten list and is one of the best films of 2011, with a star-making performance by a most unexpected actress.
GRADE: A-
This 2011 indie thriller marks the debut of writer/director Sean Durkin who has fashioned a quiet, powerful psychological drama that introduces the world to a terrific new actress. Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of two very famous twins, turns in a bold, Oscar-caliber piece of acting that allows her to successfully break from the stigma of having world-famous siblings. She's a remarkable talent and establishes her own niche as an actress, becoming a star on her own terms. The film is strong on its own merits, but, once you've seen it, it's hard to forget Olsen and even easier to forget her famous sisters.
This is a terrific debut for Durkin. Labeled as a thriller, it moves in a low-key fashion that doesn't go for easy "thrills" and instead opts for a deeply unsettling tone. The story, which uses shifting timelines in an intentionally disorienting way, never clues you in to where it's heading, but holds your attention rapt getting there. Juxtaposing this with the somber mood and static cinematography, Martha Marcy May Marlene is riveting.
Fresh off an Oscar nomination, John Hawkes is quietly sinister as Patrick. Rather than playing the cult leader as flamboyant or inherently crazy, Hawkes plays him as a soft-spoken, gentle figure and comes off as so creepy without ever trying. Physically, it's not a radical departure from his powerful, Oscar-nominated role as Teardrop in Winter's Bone but the performances are wildly different. Hawkes has been active for a long time, but it's been a mesmerizing ride watching him grow into his own as an actor, tackling such varied roles across different genres. He proves with each new performance to have an incredible amount of range and I believe his best work may still be ahead of him. With this and Winter's Bone he's showing himself as a force to be reckoned with. Choosing subtlety over bravura, rarely breaking from the soft-spoken creature he establishes, it's triumphant how his characterization of Patrick convincingly allows his presence to hang over the movie in the same way it hangs over Martha. Like Olsen, his performance is Oscar-caliber but perhaps too subtle to capture the eye of Academy voters.
This brings me back to Elizabeth Olsen. A beautiful woman in a strangely unique way, she has a very child-like look that betrays the amount of emotion she's capable of conveying. It probably helps the quality of her performance, making it so much more unexpected. She really plays this role beautifully and bravely where another actress in her position could've unwisely taken an easy route and capitalized on her name rather than her talent. It appears that Olsen has honed her craft and waited for the right opportunity to strike. Considering she gives one of the most depressing, daring, and impressive performances of 2011, she has made the right decision. This is an actress going places.
Martha Marcy May Marlene is less a thriller than a riveting, psychological portrait. It's distinctly separate from a Hollywood film, but too sophisticated for the indie label. Durkin's film is brave and unflinching, a film that could have only been made on the indie circuit. This is not because of the film's controversial elements, which aren't too graphic, but the way he unwaveringly looks at the effect the cult has had on Martha and refuses to betray the very realistic scenario. The film's final shot is abrupt and ambiguous, but far from anticlimactic. An obvious metaphor, it brings just the right amount of closure that can be afforded to this story and character. An obvious metaphor, yes, but certainly not an ineffective one. This shot is frightening and unforgettable; a brave, sad ending to the film. It's so deceptively simple, yet towering in its impact. I know this may give the impression that the film ends violently, but it creates more paranoia with a simple, unmoving shot than anything horrific could have. Martha Marcy May Marlene is a late inclusion to my top ten list and is one of the best films of 2011, with a star-making performance by a most unexpected actress.
GRADE: A-
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By F. Davie
Format:Blu-ray
I enjoyed the movie. The casting was good, the pace of the movie was good, as were the general theme and construction. The conclusion of the movie was a problem for me and I think it will be for the average viewers as well. If you are looking for film where the loose ends are tied up and there's some sense of resolution you aren't going to find it in Martha Macey May Marlene.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
An intense film.
Martha Marcy May Marlene starring Elizabeth Olsen is an interesting film, even though the ending is a little bit of a letdown. Read more
Published 13 days ago by ADRIENNE MILLER
5.0 out of 5 stars
loved it!!
dealer sent it to me with god speed!! that was seriously excellent!! It was packaged in a very safely sensable manner. i have to recommend this dealer!!
Published 29 days ago by klpcupid
5.0 out of 5 stars
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This was such a great movie. The whole cast was phenomenal. If you are looking for easy answers and a neat ending you may not enjoy this kind of movie. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Persephone Huffman
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great acting/Horrible ending!
The story is captivating and gains momentum throughout but comes to an abrupt and confusing ending as if the production crew ran out of film. The acting is superb. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Wine Me
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extraordinary story of a girl in limbo
The plot has been written about, so I'll just say that this movie is stunning. It slowly builds suspense and a foreboding of malice. Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. Cooper
3.0 out of 5 stars
weird
Cultist chauvinistic male warps mind of impressionable young woman. Physical escape is easier than recovering mentally. Not everything is as it seems.
Published 1 month ago by Janice L. Rudolph
4.0 out of 5 stars
Edge of my seat
This movie wasn't what I thought original which turned out to be a nice surprise. The movie was very good with the exception I didn't like how it left me hanging. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Katrina Rose author of ghost: Connects
3.0 out of 5 stars
See for the Lead Elizabeth Olsen
Elizabeth Olsen plays a young woman who has just run away from an abusive cult after witnessing something that should not be disclosed here. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Tsuyoshi
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as I expected
Maybe my expectation were too high for this film. I had heard good reviews and overall the film was not bad just, not the movie I was expecting. Read more
Published 2 months ago by T Vance
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Thought-Provoking Film
This film explores the life of someone who has left a cult and how that person must re-adjust and cope with what they have experienced. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Kevin S.
