When I hear a movie title with the name "Olsen" in it, my first instinct is typically not to watch it. However, while Mary Kate and Ashley were riding jet ski's with boys in forgettable flicks like "Holiday In the Sun", their little sister, Elizabeth Olsen, was out learning the art of acting. Martha Marcy May Marlene, directed and written by T. Sean Durkin, is a psychological thriller, that leaves one uncomfortably chilled in their seat. Olsen plays the part of Martha, a young woman who is trying to assimilate with her remaining family after escaping from a cult. The movie begins with Martha's escape from cult life in the Catskills, and her sister bringing her back into her overly civilized home. Martha's time in the cult is shown through flashbacks, that explain her paranoia in connection with current events. Under the leadership of charismatic and convincing cult leader Patrick (played by John Hawkes) she learns to lead a life outside of the social norms.
One of the fallacies in the plot, (or perhaps something I failed to hear in the overall quietness of the dialogue) was whether or not she remembered what happened in the cult, or if she was refusing to speak about it. Either way, the repressed memory of the past starts to interfere with her attempts to make a new life in a society she no longer understands.
The most chilling part of the movie is it's overall silence. With still shots focusing on actors and scenery, we are given time to contemplate what is happening, and how the character might feel about the situation. The pace of the movie moves rather slowly, but that is not to say that nothing happens. We are given a broken character, and the viewer must piece together bit by bit the events that have led to her psychological instability. The movie expresses that sometimes our need for familial and human connection can be so great that we will conform to almost anything to be a part of something. The movie also raises questions about societal standards and how our culture measures success in terms of monetary wealth and career position. However, after viewing a glimpse of cult life, I felt almost compelled towards "society", particularly if life in .
