Martha Marcy May Marlene

The curiously titled “Martha Marcy May Marlene” is an independent film and is shot like a typical independent film. It is also a horror film, although it is not shot like a horror film. It is not a horror in the typically terrifying or immediately noticeable sense; you will find no axe-wielding maniacs or vengeful spectres here. But what you will find is an overwhelming feeling of dread and an acute sense of paranoia, both of which surround the film and suffocate the viewer; I’d call the film a psychological thriller had it tried to be thrilling, but it did not, so it is a horror.

The film stars in its leading role the undiscovered Elizabeth Olsen, aka the younger sister of the (in)famous Olsen twins. This is the 22-year-old’s acting debut, which is not the slightest bit evident at any point in the film. Olsen performs like an experienced professional of the acting business, offering a dramatic performance that is a raw, emotional and captivating beginning to a potentially luxurious career; one can only wonder why Olsen’s older sisters rose to bright and shining fame instead of their tremendously talented little sister.

Olsen plays Martha, a young woman who we watch flee from a small community that resides in a farmhouse by the woods in New York state. Martha has an older sister, Lucy (Kristen Wiig lookalike Sarah Paulson, “New Year’s Eve”). Lucy hasn’t heard a peep from Martha in two years, so it’s quite the surprise when Martha calls her out of the blue one day, sounding upset, but not willing to admit it. Lucy picks her up from outside a diner and takes her to her lakeside home. Martha claims that she has just broken up with a boy who lied to her; we know this to be false.

Lucy has a husband, English architect Ted (Hugh Dancy, “Adam”). Lucy and Ted allow Martha to stay in their home for a while, until Martha is ready to get a job and get her own place somewhere. Martha is flattered, but soon becomes an irritant for her big sister and brother-in-law, not because she stays too long, but because of her strange invasiveness and emotional instability. Martha also seems to be suffering from mass paranoia, resulting in some uncomfortable situations, such as when Martha attacks a stranger in the middle of a house party.

At many points throughout the film, we flashback to Martha’s past, specifically to the time she spent with the community we watch her flee in the film’s opening moments. It’s never explicitly stated at any point who these group of people are or what exactly it is they do, but common sense tells us they’re some sort of cult, and an abusive and manipulative one. Martha was recruited by them, stayed with them, lived by their ways, eventually had enough of them and bolted without warning.

This cult is led by a man named Patrick, played by John Hawkes. Patrick is charismatic, seductive and skilled in the art of persuasion, which aids in the commanding power he has over his loyal followers. He is manipulative and possibly insane. Whether or not he truly believes in the lessons he teaches we don’t know, but his followers certainly listen to and are swayed by every word he says. He is the puppeteer and they are his poor, helpless puppets; it seems Martha smartly cut her strings while Patrick wasn’t watching.

Hawkes recently rose to fame for his menacing supporting performance in Debra Granik’s 2010 drama “Winter’s Bone.” Here, Hawkes is equally as intimidating, creeping across the screen with a quiet, understated menace. At no point in the film does Hawkes’ character become angry or yell, yet his presence is an exceptionally scary one; it’s the subtleties in Hawkes’ strangely charming performance that prove the most threatening and the most enthralling; it’s a villainous role that is not overacted but performed with convincing realism.

In the present day, Martha is haunted by her memories of the cult. She has nightmares about them, daydreams with terror about them and sees its members wherever she goes. This is where the horror elements creep their way in, although very little of the film is presented in a typical horror fashion. Martha is convinced that the cult is still watching her and that they are coming for her; as such, much of the film makes for supremely intense viewing as we too wonder whether or not the cult is coming to hunt Martha down.

For his feature film debut, writer-director Sean Durkin has made a film that is hypnotic, disturbing and deeply penetrating. It is beautifully photographed by cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes, effectively acted by Olsen, Hawkes, Paulson and Dancy, and more unsettling and spine-chilling than most horror films produced today. One hopes Olsen will make good use of her incredible talents and not tumble into the abyss as her admittedly very rich sisters have done; she certainly has the skill to achieve the same level of fame and fortune enjoyed by those devilish twins and watched presumably in understandable envy by the Olsen of “Martha Marcy.”

9/10