Review: Martha Marcy May Marlene (Durkin, 2011)
November 24th 2011 15:26
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Written November 12, 2011
Martha Marcy May Marlene is a hypnotic, nuanced debut film from writer/director Sean Durkin. Durkin crafts a world that we fall into without question, structured around a mesmerizing, breathing performance by newcomer Elizabeth Olsen.
Durkin weaves through time and space, presenting the story of Martha in a nonlinear, fractured fashion. By structuring the film in his way, he connects the audience fully to Martha’s fragile state of mind.
Martha, a girl who has broken free from an upstate NY cult, has difficultly piecing together the past and the present. As the audience enters each scene, we must actively determine if what we are seeing is now or then. Sometimes, the set pieces make this task easy. Other times Durkin deliberately uses like structures (Martha’s bed, the outside of a house) to misdirect the viewer while Martha herself questions the reality in which she is living.
In one particularly effective directorial choice, the scene begins with Martha entering the kitchen of her sister’s house (Sarah Paulson). The establishing shot is filmed at a high angle, Martha looking terrifyingly small in the large space of the room. She is swallowed up, lost within this room, and the sequence perfectly illuminates Marta’s mindset. A few seconds after she asks her sister why they need such a big house. “Are you the only ones that live here?”
“Of course we are,” her sister responses, the question seeming preposterous. To Martha, it was perfectly logical.
As Martha slowly begins to unravel, so do the cinematic devices around her. The scenes grow shorter, become more fragmented. The music elevates to heightened crescendos, causing the audiences paranoia to increase along with Martha’s.
Durkin’s tale is not about the why and how. He doesn’t attempt to explain the choices Martha made, instead linearly beginning the current course of events when she is already out of the cult. Through conversations with her sister her past is only hinted out but never fully fleshed out. This is not a criticism as Durkin never pretends that this story is about she was there to begin with. It also doesn’t take the Hollywood mainstream approach which would definitely have Martha’s circumstances discovered. The things Durkin doesn’t do are almost more refreshing than what he does.
The loan criticism with the film would be regarding a scene which feels out of place in its shock and abruptness. It almost feels as though the act which occurs should have been in a different film. Unfortunately, it’s this act which serves as a catalyst for a major plot point. Perfectly paced up until this point, Durkin rushed the event and those following in a certain part of the timeline. Some explanation regarding the event would have been beneficial. Even so, it is easy to overlook this when faced with an otherwise flawless first effort.
Olsen’s performance deserves all the praise it is receiving and more. She brilliantly balances the girl she was as Marcy May and the shell of Martha that is left over. The transitions she goes through as a person are completely fascinating. This is not an actress hiding behind makeup or aging factors. This is just someone who looks largely the same throughout yet you can see the physical transformation in her body and face.
John Hawkes plays the patriarchal leader, and is proving to be a consistently reliable character actor with an intense screen presence. Martha Marcy May Marlene is one of the best films of the year and truly an important addition to the world of American independent cinema. Olsen is undoubtedly on her way to become one of this generation’s most talented young actresses.
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Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I had no idea it was the Olsen sisters' younger sister until after the movie.
Comment by Cinema is Truth
Cinema is Truth
Cinema is Truth