Martha Marcy May Marlene, a veritable tongue-twister of a title, is the feature length debut of writer-director Sean Durkin, as well as actress Elizabeth Olsen, the Olsen sister who doesn't come with her own personal doppelganger. Nevertheless, she is instantly recognizable as title character Martha/Marcy May/Marlene, with her wide, sorrowful baby doll eyes that exude depths to a psyche the audience will no doubt wish to delve into. The film begins on a small farm where Martha/Marcy May/Marlene currently resides, that is until a hasty early morning retreat into the woods with nothing more than a backpack and the hope that she will not be found, despite the numerous men and women trampling through in search of her. After an emotional call to her estranged sister, Lucy, she is rescued, from what exactly, we don't yet know.
We eventually learn that Martha has been missing for over two years, having run away shortly after the death of her mother, her only remaining parent. She has been staying in a community working hard toward self-sustainability at a little hideaway in the Catskills. These two years have not been without an indeterminable amount of trauma, revealed to the audience through interweaving flashbacks that mingle with the present so tightly it is sometimes difficult to draw a line between the two.
The present takes place at the lake house of sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) and brother-in-law Ted (Hugh Dancy), a couple so self-absorbed that it is quickly seen this will be no place for Martha to heal. In flashbacks it is revealed how Martha became Marcy May, as dubbed by Patrick (John Hawkes at his despicable best), the leader of the cult-like community where troubled Martha/Marcy May seeks refuge. Those familiar with the history of the Manson family will easily find parallels, but Durkin saves his film from being a retelling better suited to a Lifetime movie-of-the-week by keeping the focus entirely on Olsen.
This is not the story of a cult's inner workings seen through the eyes of its members. Martha Marcy May Marlene makes its mark by approaching the subject from end to beginning. As Martha drifts through the present, achieving levels of social awkwardness more befitting of someone raised by wolves, we already know how damaged she is. But it is Olsen who makes Martha's damage palpable for viewers in this account of what happens after the kool-aid. Martha's increasing paranoia makes it painfully apparent that one never really walks away from a cult, and we later question whether she truly wants to.
With no spoilers, it is fair to say the ending will split audiences, leaving just as many groaning as those nodding their heads. It's true, Martha Marcy May Marlene has its faults, but they are few and incomparable to the outstanding career-launching performance of Elizabeth Olsen. Moving through the film like a wounded animal, Olsen manages to convey a character who as all at once deadened on the outside and surging on the inside as though she's had a career to rival greats like Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett. Keep an eye on this little Olsen, though, as she will no doubt reach such acclaim soon. What she lacks in experience she makes up for with talent others dream of, and her performance makes this film one of the better films released last year.
Final Grade: A-
Find It: New to Redbox this week, OnDemand, Blockbuster, and retailers.
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