The Basics:
Martha has lived a tough life. Her mother died at a young age, and she was left to fend for herself for most of it. She's emotionally detached from her sister, and just simply sees the world differently than most. All these things combined eventually drove her into the grasp of a cult deep in the Catskills, led by the charming and controlling Patrick. Well her cult life at first seemed idyllic and peaceful, something eventually happens that causes her to escape. She gets back in touch with her sister and her new husband, Ted. The two willingly take Martha in, and try their best to figure out just what happened to her since they last met. But while Martha pulls away emotionally from them, her greatest fears begin to haunt her as she wonders if the cult is still after her.
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy, Christopher Abbott, and John Hawkes
Written and Directed By: Sean Durkin
The Delivery:
For me, watching Martha Marcy May Marlene was such a frustrating experience. On the one hand, this was a film I've been looking forward to for months (since the film's premiere at last year's Sundance, actually). Thus, I had high expectations going forward. On the other hand, what I actually got from the film was undeniably polished; the direction is excellent, and the performances are fantastic. So why, despite all that, did I feel so disconnected with this film?
Most of this emotional detachment, I think, stems from the film's ending. Now, there's been a lot of differing opinion about this film's ending. And well I won't reveal any spoilers here, let's just say the first thing I said when this film ended was "WHAT THE FUCK?!" It's not that I found flaws with the ending itself; actually, the last few moments are rather effective in instilling a sense of fear, dread, and paranoia. It was kind of a perfect way to end the film.
That said, the reason I don't think the ending works is because it simply came too soon., I don't mind ambiguous endings, in fact, I really love them. But you need to have the emotional payoff to support them—even if the film ends abruptly, something needs to happen with either the characters or the plot to "complete" the arc. Even if there's not complete payoff (like with Blade Runner or Total Recall), the film still needs to END in one way or another. And this film simply didn't—I didn't understand why Marcy left the cult, which I thought was a huge problem. There was no emotional catharsis for me, no real payoff. Even though I was with Marcy and her story to the end, the ending left me completely cold.
Aside from the ending, there's a lot to like about Martha Marcy May Marlene. Elizabeth Olsen's performance, for one, is pretty amazing. She has this strength about her that simultaneously shows her inner weakness—yeah, her performance is so good it's causing me to talk shit out of my ass! Not very many performances are that good. This is a star making turn for Olsen, and I can't wait to see what comes next for this actress.
I also appreciated the direction, which was both stylish and subdued (yeah, it was good enough to warrant a second nonsensical comparison!) The script was fine as well, but those above caveats threw off the entire thing for me. Finally, the music was very strong and effecting. It added so much to the overall tone of the film, especially towards the end.
Overall:
Martha Marcy May Marlene is a very good movie. But considering my expectations, I was hoping for something much, much better. The final five minutes of the film operate as a dealbreaker for me, and turns what could have potentially been one of my favorite films of the year into a simply good, but rushed film that limbers its way to a memorable, if not predictable, ambiguous ending.
Martha Marcy May Marlene (which is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital download today) gets an 8 out of 10.
-Matthew
