Martha Marcy May Marlene

Spent the evening watching this film, I finished it and it left me with mixed feelings. There is no denying that it was some what fresh with a new idea, quite original I'd say.


the story is that of a young girl Martha " played by Elizabeth Olsen ", who tries adapting to her life with her family after fleeing a group of a wierd cult whom she lived with for about two years.
its quite an original concept, at least for me, as the director takes us back into Martha's past while living with the cult in flashbacks, I usually am not a big fan of films that relies heavily on flashbacks, i feel it disrupts the stream of the film, however, the director executed it skillfully.


the film was more of a character study, something I like very much in movies since my work involves analyzing people and the way they think. the character of Martha was very intriguing to me as she goes through her inner struggle trying to adapt to a normal life after the strange and bizzare practices she witnessed and participated in with that cult group. she was clearly damaged.


Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of Ashley and Mary - kate Olsen, the rich twins known from the 80s - 90s family T.v series Full House, was surprisngly good here, I've never seen her before in any work, and so I never thought she's that good, especially with a complex character like Martha. Bravo..I predict a bright future for her in movies.


Now why the mixed feelings ? well, it was a bit depressing and while i enjoyed the character of Martha and was impressed by the concept of the film, it moved in a very slow pace. the director spends a lot of time in certain scenes that could have easily been edited for a faster pace, but i can understand why, as he wants the audience feel the reality of the scenes, and i think he succeeds in doing so. however, certain scenes were too long.


In the end, I was surprised with this film, in a good a way, it was different, focusing on the character and the inner struggle, but it didn't leave me with a good feeling for a number of reasons. I also don't think this film is for everyone, people might feel bored with the slow pace, especially those who are looking for a Thriller or a Horror.
I'd say 8 out of 10