Martha Marcy May Marlene

[Impact]

Review, Discuss and Have Fun!

[acsc1312]

From my crowd report:This movie is kind of like Winter's Bone. You go in for the lead performance, and just watch the rest, but this was better than WB. I loved the jumping between when she was with the cult and her life now. Olsen is very strong in her debut performance, but I don't know if she can hold on to the momentum come Oscar nomination time. Sarah Paulson was also very strong in her role, but will probably not receive any recognition. The ending is a bit of a let down, but at the same time smart on the director's part. Overall, I enjoyed it, and it did provide some tense moments along the way that were not expected.Grade: B+, Elizabeth Olsen: A

[TheMovieman]

From my crowd report:

This movie is kind of like Winter's Bone. You go in for the lead performance, and just watch the rest, but this was better than WB. I loved the jumping between when she was with the cult and her life now. Olsen is very strong in her debut performance, but I don't know if she can hold on to the momentum come Oscar nomination time. Sarah Paulson was also very strong in her role, but will probably not receive any recognition. The ending is a bit of a let down, but at the same time smart on the director's part. Overall, I enjoyed it, and it did provide some tense moments along the way that were not expected.

Grade: B+, Elizabeth Olsen: A

I generally agree. It was suspenseful throughout and even though I know what the writer/director was going after with the ending, it still didn't do it for me. But still, it is worth checking out for Olsen and, on a lesser scale (since he's not in it as much), John Hawkes.

***½/*****, (B, 7.1/10, 3/4)

[rb02]

From my crowd report:This movie is kind of like Winter's Bone. You go in for the lead performance, and just watch the rest, but this was better than WB. I loved the jumping between when she was with the cult and her life now. Olsen is very strong in her debut performance, but I don't know if she can hold on to the momentum come Oscar nomination time. Sarah Paulson was also very strong in her role, but will probably not receive any recognition. The ending is a bit of a let down, but at the same time smart on the director's part. Overall, I enjoyed it, and it did provide some tense moments along the way that were not expected.Grade: B+, Elizabeth Olsen: A

I agree that the ending sucked; in fact, it wasn't really an ending at all. But then again I was trying to envision a better ending and couldn't come up with anything myself that could have worked. Maybe it was for the best. I have to say, Hawkes was phenomenal in this. Should have been considered for a best supporting actor nod. Overall, a B because it kept me on edge throughout; too bad it just ended right as the potential climax was beginning.

[Webslinger]

A remarkably atmospheric film with a dynamite breakout performance from Elizabeth Olsen in the title role. It moves slowly and has a decidedly ambiguous ending (which I actually really appreciated; getting a clear answer as to whether Martha was truly sane or truly crazy at that point would have detracted from the character's mystique), but it's near-hypnotic while it lasts.

A-

[jacquelinejane]

I LOVED the ending. It's frustrating, sure, but it's perfect for this film: the movie is, at its crux, about a young woman dealing with PTSD and all its side effects, including flashbacks and paranoia; my fave aspect of the entire film is how they never confirmed whether her paranoia was justified, or whether it was her imagination going into overdrive, her inability to 'move on' and leave her past in the past. Like Webslinger said, being told conclusively whether her paranoia was founded or not defeats everything the film accomplished.

For me personally, it was a perfect film. I have PTSD and am so happy to see a movie tackle it so effectively. The past blending into the present, constantly being alert for danger even if it doesn't exist, nightmares vs reality, etc. Another reason why the ending works is that for PTSD, it's most often a lifelong struggle. It's something that plagues people's everyday lives for years and years and years; even if the people behind them weren't cult members, Martha is still going to be living the rest of her life looking over her shoulder and mistaking shadows for monsters. The ending reflects the way most PTSD sufferers live their lives: with fearful uncertainty. Am I safe? It's a question Martha will be asking herself for a long, long time; why should the audience be given an answer to this question when our protagonist will not?

[JackO]

Too much hype for this one. Boring and average in every way possible. Maybe the critics liked it since Elizabeth Olsen gets naked so much?C

[Ezen Baklattan]

For the opening half, the atmosphere is pretty good, creating the suspense needed to keep myself interested, but not too much more than was necessary. Elizabeth Olsen does a pretty good job, too. She captures the personality of this scared, insecure, girl. The ending was certainly intense, and it worked pretty well, for the most part, but I wasn't overly affected when watching this movie.

Still, it's definitely worth a watch if you're interested.

B

[Cmasterclay]

Excellent atmosphere, great tension, strong performances, and a fascinating examination of the incredible ambiguity between sanity and insanity. The ending rubbed me the wrong way until I thought about it more and then it really brought it all together. Do recommend.

[Gopher]

I've listened to the songs John Hawkes sings in this film consistently for the past three years. 

[Goffe]

Pretty interesting film, didn't like the way it was structured, I would rather prefer it in chronological order. Great ending, though. 70/100