Martha Marcy May Marlene
Tags: cult, mystery, philosophical, murder

Plot synopsis:
Early one morning, Martha flees from an abusive cult on a farm in the Catskill Mountains led by their enigmatic leader, Patrick and his subordinates Watts and Katie. After escaping pursuers, Martha is caught at a diner by Watts, who attempts to take her back, but she refuses and not wanting to cause a scene, Watts leaves while staring one last time at her, unsettling Martha. Martha worriedly phones her sister Lucy, eventually asking for her help. Lucy picks up Martha at a nearby bus station and takes her to a lake house in Connecticut which Lucy shares with her husband, Ted. Martha only tells Lucy that she had been living with her boyfriend in the Catskills and broke up due to him lying, leaving out all mention of the cult.
Martha integrates her life with Ted and Lucy, but begins to show odd behavior while out at a public lake by stripping naked and casually going for a swim before Lucy forces her to get out, much to Ted's amusement. Martha, Lucy, and Ted go boating on the lake where Lucy confesses that she in essence abandoned Martha when she went to college and is attempting to reconnect with her.
In a flashback, Martha is seen meeting Patrick for the first time. He declares that she "looks like a Marcy May." It is explained to Martha that the group is working toward being self-sufficient on their farm and is told to open herself up and be a part of things as she is closed up due to her family abandoning her. Later, Martha awakens from being drugged in the middle of being raped by Patrick, and afterward Katie, the seemingly alpha female of the cult assures her that it is good what happened which is reaffirmed by her close personal friend Zoe (Louisa Krause). Later, Patrick sings Jackson C. Frank's song "Marcy's Song" in front of the group, and now addresses Martha as Marcy May. Martha begins a relationship with Patrick.
After Martha is left with Ted for a day as Lucy goes to "the city", Ted reveals to Martha that he and Lucy are attempting to have a baby, to Martha's amusement as she doesn't believe Lucy has any motherly instincts. The discussion slowly turns sour when Ted berates Martha for not contacting anyone in the family for two years where Martha casually shakes it off and goes swimming and another flashback reveals that the cult always went swimming naked at a waterfall. Martha begins to show signs of paranoia that the cult followed her and is watching her, which is coupled with Martha constantly sleeping to Ted and Lucy's confusion. Martha is also staying awake at night listening for signs of the cult. Martha walks into Lucy and Ted's room while they are having sex and gets into bed with them. A horrified Lucy explains that this is not "normal" behavior, and Ted is furious about the incident. Martha didn't think she did anything wrong as it was simply a "big bed". Ted berates Lucy for enabling Martha and begins to show a lack of patience for Martha's behavior while Lucy informs Ted that she wants to be there for Martha.
In another flashback to her time on the farm, at Katie's urging Martha "handles" a new girl, Sarah, to life on the farm. She explains that they all help out with Katie and Patrick's babies. When Sarah comments that all the infants in the community are boys, Martha ominously replies that "he only has boys". Katie helps Martha to prepare Sarah for her "special night" with Patrick, presumably the same ritual of rape that Martha experienced. The preparation includes drinking a drugged drink. After giving the drink to Sarah and putting Sarah into the same room Martha was raped in, Martha waits outside the room to give the same speech Katie gave Martha when she was first raped.
During another flashback while teaching Martha to shoot, Patrick asks her to kill a sick cat to prove that she is "a teacher and a leader," but she refuses. He then asks her to shoot another cult member; she refuses to do this as well, which angers Patrick, who then instructs Zoe to rape Martha, who proceeds to do so. One night, Martha, Watts, and Zoe break into a house and steal valuables to sell to fund the farm. In another scene, Martha and several cult members have sex in one room while Patrick watches from a stairway.
In the present, while having dinner, Martha and Ted get into an argument about how to live life where Martha repeats the cult's philosophy that they should just "live" rejecting Ted's urging that she needs to start thinking about a career to provide necessities in life and berates her for being a freeloader and lacking any values for dropping off the face of the earth for two years which ends with Martha lashing out exclaiming he doesn't "knowing anything about it" and then leaves the table. Martha attempts to call the cult one night, but loses her nerve when the girl on the other end deduces it is Martha and calls her Marcy. Martha hangs up and disconnects the phone when it rings again. Martha's paranoia takes a turn for the worst at Ted and Lucy's party, where Martha has a panic attack when she claims she recognizes the bartender (as a cult member) and begins to create a scene and breaks down and has to be sedated by Ted and Lucy. Ted suggests they seek help for Martha, to Lucy's agreement, but goes further by telling Lucy that she needs to be moved to a mental health facility; Lucy refuses to send her away, with both showing varying degree signs of contempt for Martha's behavior.
In a flashback, Martha, Watts, and Zoe break into another house but are found by the owner. They start to leave, but Patrick appears and confronts the owner, questioning whether he will call the police. The man orders the group out and promises not to call the police, but Katie, who was hiding, stabs him in the back. They quickly leave, with Martha clearly in shock. Martha is later shown answering the phone, using the name "Marlene Lewis" — a name that all the women use on the phone to conceal their identities, and follows an answering procedure on the wall next to the phone that includes asking the name of the girl on the other end three times. Watts eventually appears and agrees to pick the girl up in the next few days. Martha continues to struggle in the aftermath of the attack, and Patrick tries to convince her that death is actually a good thing per the cult's philosophy as "death is love". Furthermore, Zoe reaffirms the cult's philosophy to Martha as she attempts to confide that the stabbing has troubled Martha. It is later shown Martha being over worked by the cult and is later hit by Katie with a utensil for eating when she's not supposed to (the cult only eats once a day where the men eat first followed by all the women). Martha has a breakdown in the bathroom and Zoe betrays Martha to open the door for Patrick who physically assaults her and berates her for not learning anything. Martha apologizes and obtains Patrick's forgiveness for her lack of adhering to the cult's philosophy.
After a nightmare at the lake house, Martha has another panic attack and kicks Ted, who was trying to help her in her confusion, down the stairs. This leads Lucy to confront Martha, but Martha refuses to explain what happened to her. Lucy informs Martha that she needs "help", which Martha deduces as being sent away, which Lucy affirms and states she doesn't feel safe with Martha around granted they are trying to start a family, which leads to Martha coldly telling Lucy that she will be a "terrible mother." Lucy sobs, then makes Martha admit she has no money, but informs her she will pay for her treatment.
The next morning, Martha goes swimming in the lake and sees a man watching her from the opposite shore. Ted and Lucy then drive Martha to her treatment facility when the same man from the lake runs in front of Ted's car. He gets into a car parked on the side of the road and appears to follow them. Martha nervously looks back as they drive on, but doesn't say anything.

Review: After attending a screening last evening, I find myself at a loss to adequately describe not just her stunning turn, but also this unusual film from writer/director Sean Durkin.On the surface, this sounds like just another movie peeking inside a creepy cult that brainwashes, and psychologically and physically abuses women, and is led by a charismatic (and creepy) religious style figure-head.
There are many similarities to the Manson-family story of which much has been published, but Mr. Durkin takes the film in a much different and very creative direction by concentrating on what happens to Martha (Olsen) after she escapes the cult.In the Q&A, Durkin states he did much research and found the most fascinating story to be that of a cult escapee and what she went through during her first three weeks of freedom.
Settling in to the lake house with big sis and new brother-in-law, it becomes quite obvious that Martha doesn't know how to fit in society and has absolutely no interest in discussing her recent past.The sister is played very well by Sarah Paulson, and her husband is Hugh Dancy (so very good in Adam).
It boasts two young talents who are showing tons of potential - director Sean Durkin and lead actress Elizabeth Olsen; Olsen's performance is subtle and effective, and Durkin's directorial work creates a strong sense of atmosphere, which is aided by the superb cinematography of Jody Lee Lipes (who also had very little prior experience in feature length films).
The same goes for the relationship between Martha, her sister and her brother in law, and most of all the ending, which suggests some very interesting subjects which the rest of the movie doesn't really explore.To be clear: I don't object to open endings or films that leave a lot of information out to allow viewer interpretation, but in this case I felt it was done as a cover up for lack of decision on Durkin's part - a flawed script that doesn't really feel complete.
This film got a lot of praise and was even described as one of the best films of 2011, after watching it I find it hard to see why people would say that.The content is good, the story is of a girl trying to adapt back to normal life after escaping a cult.
Durkin brilliantly frames the film in a similar vein to Memento, jumping back and forth between Martha at her sister's cottage in the present and her life in the cult in the past.
They just seemed like mere plot devices more so than anything else.While there is still something I still cannot quite describe that holds Martha Marcy May Marlene back from being the best film of the year, I cannot stop thinking about how powerful and great it really is.
Weird, but in a Good Way. Elizabeth Olsen's acting in Martha Marcy May Marlene is really fantastic (it may or may not be her first feature film, not sure which she did first this or Silent House).
Her acting combined with the background we get make it easy to see how someone could be drawn into a cult - and stay for so long despite the abusiveness.The interactions between Martha, her sister and her brother-in-law are downright strange at times but not in a 'hunh?' way at all.
They're strange in a way that actually makes perfect sense for the characters and the experiences they've had.I was really disappointed by the very, very, very end of the film - but I liked the other 100 or so minutes enough that I can forgive it (or forget about it).
But the longer she lives with her sister and brother-in-law (Hugh Dancy), the harder it is for her to separate memories from dreams, right from wrong, and good people from bad people.Overall, the film is slow and silent, not usual traits for a psychological thriller.
Olsen has this tender powerfulness that suited the character (or characters) perfectly; she made you hold on to her with her all-knowing eyes and earnest desire to understand who she is.With a modest budget and a somewhat original way of showing madness mixing with sanity, shot and performed beautifully, "Martha Marcy May Marlene" should be in the running for all the major Independent Spirit Awards.
As the first feature for both writer/director Sean Durkin and star Elizabeth Olsen, it certainly is a stunning debut.Before you venture into the mind of "Martha Marcy May Marlene" I will leave you with a final thought.
The present reveals it is two years later, Martha has decided to escape the cult, and shacks up with her sister and brother-in-law in an upscale Connecticut lakeside community.First time feature writer/director Sean Durkin is a bit manipulative with his script and shot choices.
Subtly and acutely directed by American filmmaker Sean Durkin, this brilliantly narrated story draws an invariably engrossing, intensifying and afflicting portrayal of a young woman driven to the edge of her sanity and struggling to recover after suffering psychological and physical abuse whilst living on a remote farm under the power of a cult leader.
The fine editing by Zachary Stuart-Pontier and the efficient fragmented narrative structure increases the pace in this profoundly mysterious independent film about the dangers of seductive and misleading cults, targeting vulnerable young men and women who are looking for a sense of belonging, which is impelled by the internal and efficiently impersonated acting performance by Elizabeth Olsen in her first leading role and the great supporting acting performances by American actor John Hawkes, British actor Hugh Dancy and American actress Sarah Paulson.
The discomfort that Martha brings to Lucy and Ted (Sarah Paulson and Hugh Dancy) - the real-family sister and brother-in-law - is palpable, even if it is what makes the story kind of a bummer overall.
The seamlessness of the two story lines come to a head with a THOROUGHLY maddening, tantalizingly teasing, made-for-sequel final scene-only the joke's on you-there won't be one...Cast: John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, Elizabeth Olsen, Hugh Dancy, Brady Corbet Director/Screenwriter: Sean Durkin Producer: Josh Mond, Antonio Campos, Chris Maybach Genre: Drama/Thriller Rating: R for disturbing violent and sexual content, nudity and language.
There she was abused, raped and forced to be a witness with few peers when they enter in peoples homes in the middle of the night and sometimes murder them.My guess is that to such a topic could get something much better while the movie is boring, slow scenes are repeated and unnecessarily lengthen, leading actress is monotonous, makes no effort to bring life to the movie and the end of the film is really like the whole movie: weak and confused..
The ending is annoying and makes you think Sean Durkin didn't know where he was going and how to end his movie.The alleged stylized cinematography is in fact pretty cheap with the intensive use of the zoom, and a lot of shots feel forcedThe only satisfaction is Elizabeth Olsen that portrayed her character quite well.All in all, the movie didn't live up to its potential and the ending leaves a bitter taste..
That's really the biggest reason that I'm giving "Martha Marcy May Marlene" a 3 out of 10; because the ending made me feel quite unhappy -- I felt cheated.There should be rules about cliff hanger endings, like if you put one up then you should have at least some explanation before hand, so that at the end the viewer isn't completely confused.There were some scenes that were intriguing and disturbing to watch.
Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) escapes from an abusive male-dominated communal cult where she lived as Marcy May. Her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) eagerly takes her in.
Martha Marcy May Marlene - CATCH IT (A-) The film focuses on Martha (Elizabeth Olsen, yes Olsen Twins has a younger sister), who flees from an Abusive Cult culture led by an enigmatic leader, Patrick (John Hawkes).
The movie follows the character of Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) after she has escaped from a ranch owned by a cult.
Trees represent the idea of freedom, which is slowly taken away from her both in the cult and with her sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson).Two characters are really worth mentioning when reviewing Martha Marcy May Marlene.
The film opens with Martha/Marcy May/Marlene (Elizabeth Olsen in a tortured yet incredibly nuanced performance) escaping a cult in upstate New York to reunite with her estranged sister and her sister's husband.
This last year's Sundance darling, MMMM is a perturbing piece of director-writer Sean Durkin's debut feature, showcasing montages yoking two paralleled story-telling about a young girl Martha's life within an anonymous cult (under the guidance of a collective sharing canon, the austere and independent lifestyle, while sexual abuse and some inexplicable brutality are being conspired in a horrid fashion) and after a two-year stint, she escapes from it and stumblingly copes with her foray into the real world.A low-end cinematography gives away a barren but pertinent observation, but the occasional buzzing score is somehow quite nettlesome.
Olsen's visceral dedication is remarkable though, but our sympathetic sensation has been hindered by the edgy shots and an ambivalent script, knowingly playing mysterious and keeping certain distance towards both the mystified cult and the disheartened couple - Martha's caring but ineffectual sister and her secular husband, their approach to uncover the truth behind is unimaginably lame (Sarah Paulson and Hugh Dancy are barely shimmering alongside) The late-bloomer John Hawkes is so insidiously charismatic as the cult leader (a Charles Manson analogy) and his solo rendition of Marcy's Song has an irresistible spell which is the deadly potion for naif girls (it will work simply just switching the name of its title to his prey).
The film certainly deals with those subjects on a tangential way, but its main point is making us participants of the mental dissociation suffered by a young woman who managed to physically escape from the cult, even though she might never abandon her "master"'s "teachings", for better or for worse.And then we have the wonderful performance from Elizabeth Olsen in the leading role, which expresses even the most complex emotions with looks, expressions and body language.
Sarah Paulson also brings a good performance as the older sister with contradictory emotions about the entrance of the main character into her life, while John Hawkes managed to be simultaneously charismatic and frightening as the leader of the cult.As for the negative elements from Martha Marcy May Marlene, I can mention the fact that the abrupt ending feels forced, at the same time it avoids us from receiving an emotional catharsis; and I can also mention the fact that the character Ted is occasionally forced to create conflict when it wasn't necessary.
The mystery lying behind the on-screen display of social perversion, which in the case of "Martha Marcy May Marlene" comes as a manipulative cult, can drive intense interest just through sheer curiosity as to what possible force in this universe could drive such queer behavior.Our only window to that answer is lead actress Elizabeth Olsen.
She plays a young woman who has successfully run away from a cult in upstate New York and attempts to re- assimilate with her sister (Sarah Paulson) and her husband (Hugh Dancy) in their wealthy Connecticut summer home.Writer/director Sean Durkin constructs some pristine transitions between Martha's present rehabilitation and the key revealing moments of her troubled two years as Marcy May. In doing so he flawlessly conveys her psychological trauma and injects suspense (however temporary) into the narrative.Durkin opts for long takes and minimal camera movement, which provides a sense of authenticity.
this movie as my title says keep you wondering about the missing pieces of the story it doesn't make the film boring at all it makes it mystery there's philosophical arguments that will make you think , i like the eccentric character rolled by Elizabeth Olsen it has a lot of drama and weird actions i don't think any other actor can do the same job she did she really fir the role .
It is more interested in the lasting effects the group has on its protagonist, Martha (Elizabeth Olsen), after she escapes and re-unites with her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson), who is living in middle-class comfort hosting parties with her husband Ted (Hugh Dancy).
Why Martha (Marcy May and Marlene are assumed names she lives under at various times) joined the cult in the first place is never made especially clear -- the film only hints at the lack of direction and the waywardness that led her to think a weird setup like the one she lands in is her best alternative.
Elizabeth Olsen gives a very good performance as Martha, but I think I was most impressed by the performance of Sarah Paulson, as Lucy, Martha's sister.As other posters have said here, abrupt and ambiguous endings are starting to feel somewhat obligatory in a certain kind of indie film, but the one in this film is effectively unsettling.Grade: A-.
For me, first time writer/director Sean Durkin's Martha Marcy May Marlene is one of those films, the first one I've come across this year.
I became trapped in this young girl's head and wasn't let go until the final frame.Elizabeth Olsen, in her film debut, stars as the many-named title character, who we are introduced to as she is fleeing from a farm where she belonged to a mysterious cult.
It is an engrossing dissection of the mind of a girl whose life is so fractured that she escapes 'ordinary life' to join a cult living on a farm where all of the members work and all are directed by the mindset of a quietly deranged man.Martha (Elizabeth Olsen in a knockout performance) has been living with a 'family' headed by the charismatic, dark Patrick (John Hawkes) who has renamed her Marcy May. Together with Zoe (Louisa Krause), Katie (Mary Dizia), Sarah (Julia Garner) - each of whom is bedded by Patrick in a ceremony of sorts - and with the male members of the family Max (Christopher Abbot) and Watts (Brady Corbett).
Rather than bringing resolution to the film's story writer/director Durkin leaves Martha (now in her new role as Marlene) at a juncture where we the audience must decide the ending.
It is this slowing unwinding of a girl's mind as displayed in the relationship with her nurturing but confused sister that makes one of the most thrilling psychological dramas in years.Even though the film as we watch it seems to be the career making performance of Elizabeth Olsen it is far more staggering a 'first outing' for Sean Durkin.
"Martha Marcy May Marlene" is a story about a young woman named Martha (played beautifully by Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister of the Olsen Twins) who tries to readjust to life after spending two years with a cult.
Lucy, who is newly married and is planning on raising a family, decides to take her under her wing, much to the dismay of her new husband Ted (Hugh Dancy).Throughout the film, Martha goes through flashbacks of her time with the cult which gives us viewers exactly what her experience was like starting with the cult leader Patrick (John Hawkes) giving her the name "Marcy May".
There are many things that haunt you like ...........the dead......but here's something different........It makes you question your mind ......your belief system.........Just imagine what you would be undergoing when you feel that you are under a constant watch of someone...............it normally happens when your mind is disturbed and doesn't allow any sound thoughts.....Martha(Elizabeth Olsen)clearly puts this across the viewers through a brilliant performance.....for which she deserves accolades.After two years being away from her sister Martha returns to her so that she can lead a normal life from what she was serving with this so called 'cult' and their charismatic leader Patrick.But her past memories tie her up mentally and restrict her to the recurrent thought that the cult might be still following her......
It's not that you have a hunger for it, you simply don't know how else to live."Martha Marcy May Marlene" is a film about a young woman, Martha(Olsen), who loses her grip on reality after fleeing from an abusive cult, led by a man named Patrick(Hawkes).
Of course, the character changes from father to menace as he begins to take control of Martha's life for her, in a scene that really is tough to watch.Most of us have never been a part of a cult, but during the film we feel like we are.
Elizabeth Olsen, yes Olsen as in the younger sister of the famous twins, has had one of those moments with her first feature film debut, Martha Marcy May Marlene.
Her harrowing and haunting performance has given claim to the fact the she is the sister with the talent for acting.Martha Marcy May Marlene is the story of Martha, played by Olsen, who is an escaped cult member who is still struggling to find the balance between what she was taught in her 2 years with the group lead by Patrick, played by the truly underrated John Hawkes.
'Martha Marcy May Marlene' opens with a shot of young woman, Martha, (Elizabeth Olsen) fleeing from a farmhouse-set, cult-like commune; she races desperately through the woods and makes a phone-call to her sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson).
Making her film debut in writer/director Sean Durkin's magnificent and creatively titled "Martha Marcy May Marlene".
With overall good performances and a well thought out screenplay does enough to hold the viewer's attention while making us feel the protagonist's confusion, ideology and depression.Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) runs off from an abusive cult and calls her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) who she has not communicated with over the last 2 years.