Oscar season is only a few months away and when it arrives, the film on everyone's lips will more than likely be Martha Marcy May Marlene. Yes it's a mouthful, but the sooner the general public can learn the proper order of these ‘M' names, the better because this will be the movie the U.S. will be talking about.
In his first full-length feature film, rookie director Sean Durkin takes the viewer on a terrifying journey into the life of Martha (played by a stunning Elizabeth Olsen, Silent House), a young woman who flees the demented cult she has been living with for the past two years.
Martha travels to live with her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson, The Spirit) and her husband Ted (Hugh Dancy, Coach) where she attempts to integrate herself back into the daily rituals of normal life.
While living under her sister's roof, Martha experiences multiple flashbacks that span over the last two years. These flashbacks include her initial assimilation into the cult as well as the different forms of abuse she endures at the sadistic hand of the group's leader Patrick (John Hawkes, Contagion.)
Throughout the majority of the film, the viewer watches as Martha struggles to differentiate one reality from another as she begins to grow paranoid. Eventually, believing that members of the cult are attempting to find and hurt her.
Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, is an acting revelation and fully embodies the role of a depressed and disturbed young woman who begins to lose touch with reality.
A virtually unknown actress before being casted in this movie, Olsen is sure to establish a name for herself due to delivering one of the year's best performances. Her portrayal is sure to be awarded with an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in early 2012.
Besides the outstanding acting from Olsen, Hawkes delivers a terrifyingly powerful and believable performance as a deranged leader who uses various manipulations in order to ensure the members remain loyal to him.
When Martha first arrives at the property, he treats her with kindness and respect, making constant note of her abandonment by her family and letting her know she will always have a place there. He changes her name to Marcy May, a clear attempt to further disconnect Martha from her old life.
Marcy May's mentor drugs her and leaves her unconscious body to be raped by Patrick, who uses the act of sex as a bonding experience between the two. Marcy May is forced to do the same to her own protégé when she is assigned one.
To most viewers, the character of Patrick will most likely resemble a present-day Charles Manson – he even refers to the cult as "the family" and orders his followers to break into houses to rob them, an act that sometimes results in the murder of the occupants so they aren't reported to the police.
Apart from the excellent acting, Martha Marcy May Marlene also has the ability to draw the audience in with the story unfolding before their eyes. They are able to sympathize with Martha's situation and desperately want her to relay the severity of her abuse to her sister.
Due to the disturbing subject matter and ambiguous ending, Martha Marcy May Marlene is not a film for everyone – the average audience will either leave the theater with a deep love or strong disdain for what they have just witnessed.
Regardless of how audiences receive it, Martha Marcy May Marlene is one of the breakout films of the year.
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