Martha Marcy May Marlene

There should be a warning label on films like Martha Marcy May Marlene: Not for non-hipsters and non-film savants. I'm not sure if I just lack the intelligence and culture needed to appreciate and find the art and beauty in this film, but if it were a joke, I completely missed the punchline. Thank the good Lord for Elizabeth Olsen because her performance is the only way I could understand how and why this film has borne such rave reviews.


Martha Marcy May Marlene is a powerful psychological thriller starring Elizabeth Olsen as Martha, a young woman rapidly unraveling amidst her attempt to reclaim a normal life after fleeing from a cult and its charismatic leader (John Hawkes). Seeking help from her estranged older sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) and brother-in-law (Hugh Dancy), Martha is unable and unwilling to reveal the truth about her disappearance. When her memories trigger a chilling paranoia that her former cult could still be pursuing her, the line between Martha's reality and delusion begins to blur.