Martha Marcy May Marlene (C or 2/4 stars)
'Martha Marcy May Marlene' (written & directed by newcomer, Sean Durkin) is a strange title, no? Let me break it down. "Martha" is the real name of the title character (played by Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister of the famous Olsen twins). "Marcy May" is the name bestowed to her once she joins a cult in the Catskill Mountains. And "Marlene" is the name she uses when answering the phone at said cult (surviving as an agricultural compound). Martha initially found love & acceptance at this 'agricultural compound' - spending 2 years there. But after having endured a sexual initiation & an abusive lifestyle, Martha flees from the murderous cult; led by the creepy, enigmatic Patrick (John Hawkes, of last year's Winter's Bone).
Lucy (Sarah Paulson), Martha's estranged older sister (and only living relative), receives a call from a pay phone one day from Martha, asking her to come & pick her up in a town 3 hours away. She can't explain/reveal the truth of her disappearance to her sister. Still, day by day, Martha begins to assimilate back into 'normal' life with Lucy & her husband, Tim (Hugh Dancy); having to lose her savage habits & get used to 'civilized' living again. But normalcy eludes Martha no matter where she is (the cult, at her sisters). Haunted by painful memories, delusions, & subtle-yet-increasing paranoia ... her psyche starts to unravel, & she believes that Patrick & his vengeful cult may be closing in on her whereabouts.
'MMMM' is a quiet psychological thriller that takes us into the foggy, fragmented mind of a cult survivor. By flashing back & forth in time periods (edited brilliantly) between her present & recent past, the movie builds tension ... only to have the air let out of the balloon too soon. 'MMMM' is one of those well-acted, impressive first-time directed independent films that are long on mood & short on content. Yes, the film touches on the dangerous extremes of youth vulnerability. And yes, there are no easy answers to why some people behave the way they do. But because this story relies mainly on the power of suggestion & sketchy memories, there is little context of which to fully understand the main character. I didn't really buy the premise that this girl could forget normalcies from her non-cult life (i.e., that people want privacy when they're having sex). And she was only in the cult for 2 yrs.. So that undermined the film for me.
See, in reality, it makes sense that a troubled girl might run away from school, join another 'family' (cult), leave, reunite with a family member, & try to return to normalcy. But this is a movie. And I simply was not shown enough of Martha's background to formulate an opinion about her, one way or another. The script, while stellar in some respects, only shows us two sides to Martha: solemn flashbacks to her cult-life, and quiet post-cult paranoia. The script fails to provide a multi-dimensional look at Martha; so we can actually feel something. All I felt was frustration as the film ended, not just because it ends abruptly & ambiguously, but because I felt like the journey I was taken on - while intriguing early on - was stunted in the end. I needed more depth from the Martha character to care about the ramifications of what could happen after the closing credits. I would have been terrified for her (in the end) had the script given me more to chew on.
Elizabeth Olsen gives a strong debut performance. There's an ease & an unease about the way she plays Martha that is interesting. John Hawkes is a spindly nightmare of a cult leader. Sarah Paulson & Hugh Dancy make the most of their 'we're-in-the-dark' family roles. As mentioned, the film is long on mood/atmosphere. That's a credit to writer-director Sean Durkin & his editor; seamlessly transitioning from present to past & back again. And the best thing I can say about the film is that: like Martha, the movie made me feel like I was entering & exiting a hazy nightmare as I watched. I felt strange & melancholy after the film ended; just as Martha felt for most of the time. But I can't get around the fact that the film is ALL middle; lacking back story or a solid conclusion.
Lucy (Sarah Paulson), Martha's estranged older sister (and only living relative), receives a call from a pay phone one day from Martha, asking her to come & pick her up in a town 3 hours away. She can't explain/reveal the truth of her disappearance to her sister. Still, day by day, Martha begins to assimilate back into 'normal' life with Lucy & her husband, Tim (Hugh Dancy); having to lose her savage habits & get used to 'civilized' living again. But normalcy eludes Martha no matter where she is (the cult, at her sisters). Haunted by painful memories, delusions, & subtle-yet-increasing paranoia ... her psyche starts to unravel, & she believes that Patrick & his vengeful cult may be closing in on her whereabouts.
'MMMM' is a quiet psychological thriller that takes us into the foggy, fragmented mind of a cult survivor. By flashing back & forth in time periods (edited brilliantly) between her present & recent past, the movie builds tension ... only to have the air let out of the balloon too soon. 'MMMM' is one of those well-acted, impressive first-time directed independent films that are long on mood & short on content. Yes, the film touches on the dangerous extremes of youth vulnerability. And yes, there are no easy answers to why some people behave the way they do. But because this story relies mainly on the power of suggestion & sketchy memories, there is little context of which to fully understand the main character. I didn't really buy the premise that this girl could forget normalcies from her non-cult life (i.e., that people want privacy when they're having sex). And she was only in the cult for 2 yrs.. So that undermined the film for me.
See, in reality, it makes sense that a troubled girl might run away from school, join another 'family' (cult), leave, reunite with a family member, & try to return to normalcy. But this is a movie. And I simply was not shown enough of Martha's background to formulate an opinion about her, one way or another. The script, while stellar in some respects, only shows us two sides to Martha: solemn flashbacks to her cult-life, and quiet post-cult paranoia. The script fails to provide a multi-dimensional look at Martha; so we can actually feel something. All I felt was frustration as the film ended, not just because it ends abruptly & ambiguously, but because I felt like the journey I was taken on - while intriguing early on - was stunted in the end. I needed more depth from the Martha character to care about the ramifications of what could happen after the closing credits. I would have been terrified for her (in the end) had the script given me more to chew on.
Elizabeth Olsen gives a strong debut performance. There's an ease & an unease about the way she plays Martha that is interesting. John Hawkes is a spindly nightmare of a cult leader. Sarah Paulson & Hugh Dancy make the most of their 'we're-in-the-dark' family roles. As mentioned, the film is long on mood/atmosphere. That's a credit to writer-director Sean Durkin & his editor; seamlessly transitioning from present to past & back again. And the best thing I can say about the film is that: like Martha, the movie made me feel like I was entering & exiting a hazy nightmare as I watched. I felt strange & melancholy after the film ended; just as Martha felt for most of the time. But I can't get around the fact that the film is ALL middle; lacking back story or a solid conclusion.