Martha Marcy May Marlene

Martha Marcy May Marlene. What a terrifically haunting film. Truly great work from both Elizabeth Olsen (There's a third sister?!?!) and Director Sean Durkin. The two work unfathomably well together. Elizabeth Olsen plays an innocent, lost soul who has the looks of a pure, and sweet young woman. She jerks us in with her innocence and vulnerability and forces us back with her obvious disregard for the help provided by her compassionate sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) and her charming, uptight, British husband Ted (Hugh Dancy). Durkin coats her performance in an interesting form. Using slow zooms, static shots, and a murky composition of the image, he frames Olsen's performance in a fogginess that supports the lack of identity in the film's protagonist.

The film's murky quality distances itself from a clean cut image and tints the story with the quality of unknown depth. Martha's reminiscences of her recent past with the cult runs parallel to her attempts to deprogram herself in the present. This narrative form allows her identities, as stated in the title, to exist alongside in each other, perforating the whole identity that is Martha's. When Martha takes a dip into the water after riding in Ted's boat, the scene transitions flawlessly back to the commune where all the women swim naked in a secluded pool. The images come together and blur that which Martha sets out to do, to remove the brainwashing of the cult, that in a way is somewhat revered by Martha. Her mind is clearly attached to her experiences and this is well represented visually through the construction of narrative form and editing.

There is a unique symbolism in the film's environment. The lavish and modern New York homes juxtapose with the rural and scarce setting of the farm. Lucy materialism is contested by Martha's belief (or brainwashing) of the right way to live. Martha's passiveness to herself being dolled up brings this conflict to light, especially in the end and party scene (I won't give away too much.) Her mental state is in constant flux and the nature of the environment truly brings it out. There is also an acute attention paid to stairs in this film. Lucy and Martha often have their deepest moments on stairs. This reminds me of one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost, The Staircase. Stairs are a struggle to gain entrance to different levels of a home, yet when used in the context of the poem, it shows a emotional struggle in a relationship to different levels of that relationship. The same goes for Martha, in that when conversations take place on the stairs, they are shot with restriction in movement. A unique way to show the extent of Martha's struggle with her relationships. Although, there is an eerie Patrick, the gang's charismatic leader, played by a wonderfully sinister John Hawkes, stares at an instance of free love taking place in the bowels of his home, suggesting that he is in control of the level of relationships in his commune.


The psychological horror present in Martha connects beauty and callousness through the absolutely stunning Elizabeth Olsen and the debut feature of Sean Durkin. It is a great film to lose yourself in. Identify with whomever you wish, Martha, Marcy May, or Marlene. The film does a job well done to derail you from every namesake.