Martha Marcy May Marlene

Martha Marcy May Marlene follows Elizabeth Olsen’s Martha as she escapes from a Manson-like cult and moves in with her increasingly exasperated sister (Sarah Paulson’s Lucy), with the film subsequently unfolding in both the past (Martha’s initial introduction to the aforementioned cult and her efforts at finding a place there) and the present (Martha’s day-to-day life with her sister and her sister’s fiancé). It’s a promising setup that’s employed to consistently underwhelming effect by filmmaker Sean Durkin, as the director, who admittedly does open the proceedings with some promise, has infused Martha Marcy May Marlene with a vague and excessively deliberate sensibility that consistently impedes one’s efforts at embracing either the storyline or the characters. Exacerbating the movie’s hands-off atmosphere is the rather baffling nature of Martha’s decision to stay with the community, with the cult’s treatment of its female members (eg rape, subservience, etc) preventing the viewer from wholeheartedly buying into its entire existence. (This proves to be especially problematic as Olsen’s character welcomes a teenage girl into the fold, as it’s rather difficult to believe that Martha wouldn’t warn the newcomer of the oppressive, prison-like atmosphere.) And although Durkin has admittedly peppered the film with a handful of compelling sequences, Martha Marcy May Marlene ultimately comes off as nothing more than a showcase for several stirring performances (eg Olsen’s star-making turn as the title character) – with the movie’s final insult an obnoxiously abrupt ending that leaves far too many questions unanswered.

*1/2 out of ****