Excuse the title of "Martha Marcy May Marlene." It is confusing, longwinded and conjures images of haughty avant−garde cinema at its worst. A film's title is supposed to lure in the viewer — it is a brand name — and "Martha Marcy May Marlene" reads like a list of grandmothers. So roll your eyes and shake your head, but then get over it quickly, because if you can look past the title, you will be rewarded with one of the best films of the year.
The narrative begins as Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) runs away from a cult and moves into her sister's lakefront vacation house in Connecticut. Martha is clearly a disturbed young woman. She does not reveal much about her past to her sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson), or to Lucy's husband, Ted (Hugh Dancy), but her uneasiness hints at earlier trauma.
As the movie progresses, flashback sequences of Martha's life in the cult intersperse the plot. It turns out the cult's leader, Patrick (John Hawkes), changes her name to Marcy May because he thinks it sounds better than Martha. He also takes her virginity with the aid of a date−rape drug and tries to inspire her to become the leader of the women in the cult. Patrick does not spew a lot of crazy political rhetoric; instead, he leads by example and subtly attempts to re−educate the members of the cult.
Lucy and Ted gradually lose patience with Martha's odd behavior. It is clear that Martha is emotionally broken, and she struggles to assimilate into her sister's comfortable life of luxury after being subjected to the cult's extreme socialist practices. This tension is present throughout the movie and provides more than enough momentum to keep the viewer's attention from beginning to end.
The acting is superb. Olsen — the younger, more talented sister of Mary−Kate and Ashley Olsen — brings a combination of wholesomeness and mystery that is perfect for the role. She is able to switch between eerie calm and outbursts of anger with ease. If there is any justice in Hollywood, Olsen would be seriously considered for an Academy Award nomination.
Paulson and Dancy are both good, but the other standout is Hawkes. He plays the role of Patrick with a quiet menace. His character serves as the gravity for all the horror in the film and facilitates some shocking scenes that will stay with you past the end credits. Patrick is an extremely well−developed villain.
Surprisingly, "Martha Marcy May Marlene" was written and directed by rookie Sean Durkin. Durkin handles tough subject matter with ideal subtlety and confidence, which many veteran directors fail to do.
The story works so well because it raises questions instead of giving answers. For example, Patrick may be a wicked man, but his beliefs are shaped with rationality. Is it wrong to agree with his ideas? At what point is authority too extreme?
Durkin's visual style gives the audience time to think about these questions. The aesthetic is very naturalistic, evoking comparisons to the organic approach used by Derek Cianfrance in "Blue Valentine" (2010). All of his characters are nuanced and fully developed.
There is one scene near the end of the movie that prevents "Martha Marcy May Marlene" from getting a perfect rating. Describing the scene in question would unfairly divulge too much information about the way the plot twists in the third act, but if you see the film, you will know what I am talking about. This one scene is very out of place in a movie that was pieced together with such thoughtfulness. It is only in here for shock value.
Fortunately, two hours of cinematic deftness can counteract two minutes of gratuitous violence. This is not just a great debut; it is a great film, period — other than its title.
