Review: Martha Marcy May Marlene
(Originally reviewed in 2012)
Right from the start of Martha Marcy I could see the similarities to Winter’s Bone, the almost wordless opening minutes show a group of people cut off from normal society, they have their own customs and rules and live how they want to live. We then see Martha escaping into the woods, we don’t know why she’s running, all we know is that she looks terrified.
A few changes in tone and Martha Marcy could’ve easily been a horror film, it’s terrifying to see this girl broken down then built up again to serve this cult. In the title role of Martha Elizabeth Olson proves herself an up-and-coming young star with a big future, it’s hard to imagine this as her debit performance because she is brilliant in a complex and brave role. Martha is seen in two stages of her life, the first is when she’s with the Tribe – not their name but I’m calling them that – it’s never explained how Martha got to be with the Tribe but through subtle brainwashing they manage to show Martha that their ways are right even if they seem outdated or even criminal. The second stage of her life is away from the Tribe with her sister Lucy and her husband, Lucy wants to help her little sister having not seen her in two years but as they spend more time together Lucy slowly begins to see that Martha needs help. Her husband is the first to see this after a strange moment when Martha carelessly walking in on him and Lucy having sex and sleeping beside them but Lucy tries to do what’s best for Martha. The strain on their relationship is built up slowly so when Lucy finally snaps it’s not surprising.
What is done brilliantly is that the two stages of Martha’s life are shown side by side, interchanging with one another but it’s never out stated ‘this is a change in time’ and the flashbacks and flash-forwards are changed between each other flawlessly, this gives the impression that the memories and horrors of the Tribe are still with Martha preventing her from ever returning to normal. There’s also several scenes in both stages that almost mirror each other, showing that Martha is trapped by her experiences, at points she repeats the teachings of Tribe members word for word.
Speaking of the Tribe the leader Patrick, played brilliantly by John Hawkes, is a true villain; he’s a predatory tyrant that hides his vile ways behind oiled words and a silver tongue. It’s hard to think that he’s managed to get so many people to follow his way of thinking but seeing him get Martha from victim to associate is absolutely horrifying. It’s clear that he just uses the woman for sex given the fact that he not only ritualistically rape Martha and the other women previously but he’s convinced them it’s part of a cleansing process and even has them assist him with the new members. One scene that stands out is when he’s teaching Martha to shoot and almost has her kill a fellow Tribe member, the way his words slide into her ears, he is just a terrifying villain, made worse by the fact that he’s a human being. Almost.
I highly recommend this film, the performances are amazing and the story is well thought out and engaging. The ending is quite sudden but it keeps the sense of dread that’s been running throughout the film. Definitely check this one out.
8/10