A haunting and moving depiction of an isolated youth, Sean Durkin’s directing and writing debut is a psychological drama that is assured as it is surreal.

 

Martha Marcy May Marlene tells the story of Martha (Elizabeth Olsen), a young woman trying to recover from flashbacks of her abusive experience in a family cult. Adding to Martha’s confused state of mind, she is taken in by her distant sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) and brother-in-law Ted (Hugh Dancy), who struggle to understand her erratic behaviour.  As the film jumps between Martha’s life in the present day and in the cult, we start to question. Where was she happier?

 

Deakin’s direction, which won him a breakthrough award at the Sundance film festival, is beautifully crafted with a minimalist approach. This manages to complement the suitably understated performances of his actors perfectly. The two best examples of this in the supporting roles come from John Hawkes - unnerving as the head of the disconnected family - and Sarah Paulson, Martha’s conflicted sister. If you are, however going to remember this film for a performance, it is safe to say that Elizabeth Olsen’s will be the one that sticks in your memory. In many ways in a strange role, Olsen (sister of famous twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley) gives Martha's existential despair a sympathetic edge of believability. 

 

There should also be a mention for the seamless editing and cold cinematography that add to create the movie’s dark mood and tone. Bearing in mind that this is Deakin’s first film, it is a remarkable effort, promising an exciting future for the director. He manages to bring out the best in his actors, write a realistic script - and most importantly, explore issues usually untouched by American cinema, let alone Hollywood.