Martha Marcy May Marlene Review
By David Kempler
MMMM Pretty Good
To call Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) troubled would not do her justice. She is operating on the edge. Early on in Sean Durkin's "Martha Marcy May Marlene" we are clueless as to what has caused her to take on a personality that is disconnected from her supposed loved ones. By the time everything unfolds we are still confused, although we understand a good deal of why she is the way she is. What we never find out is whether or not she was a willing participant in her misadventures.
Durkin weaves past and present together so that the two timelines exist side by side in Martha's life. Sometimes we watch Martha in the present with her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) and her sister's husband, Ted (Hugh Dancy). Martha and Lucy were never close, but Lucy is hopeful that by bringing Martha into her home, perhaps she will be able to make her sister better. The biggest problem is that Martha shares nothing of the two most recent years of her life. All Lucy knows is that there are demons in Martha's mind and that Martha has little interest in turning it around.
Durkin relates Martha's recent history in flashback, often jumping back and forth from past and present. The past has Martha in the Catskills, living on a commune run by Patrick (John Hawkes). Patrick is a Charles Manson clone. The girls who live in the commune are indoctrinated and are possessions of Patrick, both monetarily and sexually. We never learn why or how Martha ended up in Patrick's commune, nor whether she is a true believer or someone cowed into it. I assume the point is that every person in that situation must have a little bit of both attributes in order to end up there. We do know that at some point Martha does run away from the commune and this is what brings her to her sister's home.
Durkin manipulates us much like Patrick manipulates his women. I mean that in a complimentary way. His directing, along with good editing and an anxious score, makes "Martha Marcy May Marlene" worthwhile, but the star here is Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister of the famed Olsen twins. Apparently, the acting talent has fallen squarely on her shoulders in that family. It will be interesting to see what roles pop up in her future. If you feel like experiencing a good dose of discomfort, this one might work for you.
