Martha played by elizabeth olsen has become involved in a cult that embroils her in sexual enslavement, housebreaking and eventually murder. Watching the trailer, its clear how it leads to where the longform version begins. Jan 01, 2012 1 january 2012 happy new year sean durkins martha marcy may marlene is one of the most demanding films of 2011. I always thought the big mystery behind this movie was that martha was pregnant, and thats why she escaped.
That this man is compelling and charismatic helps explain. Can someone please explain the ending of martha marcy may marlene to me. Elizabeth olsen at an event for martha marcy may marlene 2011 john hawkes at an event for martha marcy may marlene 2011 sarah paulson. I found martha marcy may marlene to be a very nice addition to my film collection and found that it was very successful in its endeavour to be quite disturbing, unsettling and, at times, so creepy mainly as a result of the cult leader. The filmmaker behind 2011s criticallyacclaimed martha marcy may marlene has only directed a fourepisode british miniseries southcliffe since.
It cant be described as a horror film, but there is something fitting about martha marcy may marlene being released at halloween weekend. Martha marcy may marlene features a descendant of morland, one who goes by all the names in the film s title. The plot focuses on a young woman suffering from delusions and paranoia. May 05, 2011 martha marcy may marlene stars elizabeth olsen as martha, a damaged woman haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, who struggles to reassimilate with her family after fleeing a cult.
What are some plausible interpretations to the abrupt. They went with an open ending because it was ultimately a much better ending for this movie and made people really think about what they saw. Martha marcy may marlene full movie movies anywhere. John hawkes plays marcy s song in the film, while marlene is played over the credits. The debut movie from writerdirector sean durkin salaciously explores the story of a young woman named martha who escapes from a mansonlike cult that had renamed her marcy may.
The ending of martha marcy may marlene spoilers within to me, this ending was wonderful. An unknown man and elizabeth olsen in martha marcy may marlene. Martha marcy may marlene letterboxd your life in film. Blitzkrieg martha marcy may marlene explanation taylor. I found martha marcy may marlene to be a very nice addition to my film. The commotion on the road at the end was not explained, but there. Olsen, a revelation throughout, feeds every scene with poignancy. Sean durkins psychological thriller martha marcy may marlene received a lot of buzz out of the sundance film festival, much of it aimed at its lead, elizabeth olsen, younger and far more. Having spent two years living as part of an abusive cult. My gut tells me that a great pun would be to call martha marcy may marlene by the alternate name martha marcy meh marlene, but there are a number of objections to that, among them being that its not quite as bad as being meh, another that your eye tends to glide over the words to fast to notice it, and the most important being that baby jesus hates puns. That said the story leaves you more with feeling that you just watched a news segment on sexual abuse.
Martha marcy may marlene and the art of the ambiguous movie. Marcy may is the name given to her by the leader of a cult group. Martha marcy may marlene and the art of the ambiguous. News came that martha marcy may marlene was a cult film, and it was, therefore, with a heart of lead that i made my way to the screening. Oct 21, 2011 enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing martha marcy may marlene near you. Martha marcy may marlene 2011 sean durkin synopsis. Elizabeth olsen gives a stunning performance in the lead role no small feat given that the film frequently moves from the present day to flashbacks and back again. Unnerving martha hints at life in a charles mansontype. Martha marcy may marlene follows martha as she escapes an upstate new york cult after two years in its grip. Spellbinding, chilling, martha marcy may marlene marks a triumphant first film for writerdirector sean durkin. Martha marcy may marlene is the vehicle with which the youngest olsen sister moves out of her famous older twin siblings shadows, and establishes herself as the serious artist of the family. Martha marcy may marlene is an above average movie.
Does the martha marcy may marlene script give any hints. Explain the ending of martha marcy may marlene yesterday, when i finished the movie, i immediately went out and found the script which you can read here. The film benefited from two exceptional performances from elizabeth olsen and john hawkes. Can someone please explain the ending of martha marcy may. Somethings lurking in the woods in this disquieting, ambiguous indie about a young woman escaping from a cult. Martha marcy may marlene is a haunting psychological thriller from first time filmmaker sean durkin, about a young woman trying to recover from her years of being part of a cult. Escaping her past is nearly impossible for her to do as one cannot simply forget about the things she was put through. Its about something that resembles a kind of indoctrination into a cult or maybe its precisely that. A woman elizabeth olsen struggles to reassimilate with society after fleeing from a cult. Shot in long, quiet takes of bucolic idylls, martha marcy may marlene sneaks up on. Martha marcy may marlene film, psychological drama. To me the ending signifies the continued paranoia that the lead character experiences.
Its got a creepy, suspenseful build and one of the best endings of the year. It is significant that we cant be sure if the man across the lake is from the cult or not. Martha marcy may marlene is despite its clumsy title a meditative, slow paced, characterdriven psychological drama with elements of the thrillergenre. Marlene is the name all the women in the group use to answer the telephone. Martha marcy may marlene 2011 cast and crew moviefone.
The film contains several references to the music of jackson c. See actions taken by the people who manage and post content. Martha marcy may marlene caused a sensation at the perverted prestigious sundance film festival this year. Martha marcy may marlene fox searchlight, the first feature film of writerdirector sean durkin, took a good hour to start really getting on my nerves. Creepy and serenely suspenseful, martha marcy may marlene is a riveting. And i will say this, while elizabeth olsen did an amazing job throughout this movie just a phenomenal job, she didnt do a great job on that very last scene. Martha marcy may marlene elizabeth olsen sarah paulson john hawkes 2011 after escaping from a cult, a young woman elizabeth olsen is haunted by her experiences there and fears that its vicious leader john hawkes may be. My gut tells me that a great pun would be to call martha marcy may marlene by the alternate name martha marcy meh marlene, but there are a number of objections to that, among them being that its not quite as bad as being meh, another that your eye tends to glide over the words. Martha marcy may marlene is a cult phenomenon observer. Oct 27, 2011 the indeterminate final scene of martha marcy may marlene is a textbook study in the inconclusive conclusion, which has produced a rhetoric all its own among the actors and filmmakers on. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. Deliberate in pace and haunting in nature, martha marcy may marlene is a dreamlike character study of a former cultists reintroduction to society and her attempts to understand her place in the world. Watch martha marcy may marlene movie trailers, exclusive videos, interviews from the cast, movie clips and more at.
The story centers on a young woman elizabeth olsen who is living with her older sister sarah paulson after escaping a cult. Can someone please explain what happened at the end of. Watching this movie i felt like a lot of the scene was hidden and the camera was too. Oct 11, 2011 martha marcy may marlene soundtrack from 2011, composed by danny bensi, saunder jurriaans. It feels like a copy of another movie ending, of several other movie endings, both. So martha marcy may marlene, shot by jody lee lipers with a sensitivity that belies the modest budget, is a subtle, sporadically powerful portrait of a young woman in turmoil. Martha marcy may marlene is a powerful psychological thriller starring elizabeth olsen as martha, a young woman rapidly unraveling amidst her attempt to reclaim a normal life after fleeing from a cult and its charismatic leader john hawkes. However, it looks like his longawaited feature film followup is coming together and hes enlisted a couple great actors to lead the way. The acting is strong, the topic important, and technically it is good enough for what this movie needs. Martha marcy may marlene sean durkin, elizabeth olsen. Not only did it cement the film in my memory the ghost of martha s fate is still wandering the corridors of my mind, but it was a perfect conclusion, and the only conclusion i can see working with this film suicide would be a complete cop out, murder.
Interestingly, this movie and two others coming out before the end of october turn out to be more politically timely and relevant than this months specifically electionthemed the ides of march. The film is just over 100 minutes long, but requires innumerable hours of reflection, contemplation, and discussion. The subtlety works in its favour, there is a sense of dislocation and even disorientation during the film that puts the audience in a similar mental state to martha. It may not be entirely perfect i sat down to it twice before fully hearing its. Elizabeth olson plays a sympathetic lead in an intense role. The cast and crew of martha marcy may marlene discuss the films enigmatic storyline. Can you match each of these bond villains with their own evil plot. The ending of martha marcy may marlene spoilers within. There are several references to the work of singersongwriter, jackson c. Elizabeth olsen breaks from the pack in martha marcy may marlene. Oct 28, 2011 i havent been able to see durkins 2010 short film, mary last seen, that both helped him secure financing to make, and served as a quasipreface to, martha marcy may marlene.
Review and analysis of martha marcy may marlene blogger. It isnt until the cult turns violent that she realizes shes got to escape and the film martha marcy may marlene begins. It can be assumed that john hawkes character, patrick, fabricated the names marcy may and marlene from these songs. Martha marcy may marlene can be viewed as the worst nightmare of. Just try finding anyone at sundance who can get it right. T his is a disquieting and ambiguous movie in a classic us indie style. For those of you that have seen martha marcy may marlene, did. On first encounter, the alliterative tonguetwister title, martha marcy may marlene, begs to be changed. Everything you need to know about martha marcy may marlene. Martha goes swimming in the lake and sees a man watching her from the opposite shore. In martha marcy may marlene, the debut feature film by sean durkin, elizabeth olsen plays a character trying to negotiate incompatible versions of herself. At the same time, the film does not go far enoughthe behaviors are portrayed but not explained or ever resolved by martha.
Farm house bathroom later martha sits in the bathroom, knees pulled up to her chest as she rests on the. Martha marcy may marlene is a 2011 american dramatic thriller film written and directed by sean durkin, and starring elizabeth olsen, john hawkes, sarah paulson, and hugh dancy. In her stunning feature film debut, elizabeth olsen delivers an electrify. Hes been the toast of sundance three years running, but the charismatic cult leader from martha marcy may marlene says people dont know who i am. And i will say this, while elizabeth olsen did an amazing job throughout this movie just a phenomenal job, she didnt do. When my son asks where babies are from, should i make him watch the movie storks to explain. The most stunning thing about martha marcy may marlene is that its the product of a firsttime director working with a firsttime leading actress, a debut combination that could have, in less able hands, resulted in a forgettable or worse mess. Remarkably, there is no single way to digest martha marcy may marlene. She seeks refuge with lucy and her husband ted hugh dancy, shrouds her former whereabouts in secrecy and finds herself plagued by memories, unable to cope with her new life. However, her dehumanising indoctrination at the hands of the manipulative cult leader patrick has taken its toll and, haunted by disturbing memories, she struggles to revert to normality. Martha marcy may marlene starts better than it ends. Mar 11, 2012 to me the ending signifies the continued paranoia that the lead character experiences. Martha marcy may marlene stars elizabeth olsen as martha, a damaged woman haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia.
Moviechat forums martha marcy may marlene 2011 discussion the ending spoilers, obv. Having spent two years living as part of an abusive cult, martha runs away and reconnects with her older sister. Martha marcy may marlene movie trailer and videos tv guide. Nov 28, 2011 looking for answers anywhere i can as sean durkins martha marcy may marlene continues to challenge me. Take a look back at elizabeth olsens movie and tv career in photos. Dec 02, 2011 martha marcy may marlene is a tense story of a woman who, after fleeing a cultlike commune, shows increasing signs of posttraumatic stress disorder as she attempts to reestablish her normal life and a relationship with her selfish sister and difficult brotherinlaw. I decided to give it a go anyway and im really glad that i did. Ted and lucy then drive martha to her treatment facility when the same man from the lake runs in front of teds car. What are some plausible interpretations to the abrupt ending. Martha marcy may marlene on dvd february 21, 2012 starring hugh dancy, elizabeth olsen, sarah paulson. Martha marcy may marlene is the type of new american classic sundance so rarely produces anymore. Its never mentioned, but it seems implied given some of her behavior near the end of the film, like her breaking the rule of not eating before sundown, and just the way the camera seems to linger on shots of her body at times. Elizabeth olsen stars in this psychological thriller, the title of which.
It sounds eventful, but theres a lazy, dreamy quality to martha marcy may marlene, a reflection of marthas passive, troubled state bolstered by the films calm, pastoral and grainy look. Released by fox music in 2011 containing music from martha marcy may marlene 2011. One expects there to be some kind of character development, some payoff for the. Just as the family is following martha and her family at the end of the film, the predator is always stalking us. So a month before shooting i was just searching songs under martha, marcy may or marlene at my computer at home. Elizabeth olsen forced in martha marcy may marlene xvideos. Martha is discarded for marcy may, a name given by patrick himself. The plot focuses on a young woman suffering from delusions and paranoia after returning to her family from an abusive cult in the catskill mountains. Im speechless at her oscar miss, now that ive actually seen the film. Too late starring john hawkes is a confounding misfire. I have a long playlist of names that matches the title of the movie.
I havent been able to see durkins 2010 short film, mary last seen, that both helped him secure financing to make, and served as a quasipreface to, martha marcy may marlene. Martha marcy may marlene 2011 martha marcy may marlene. Can someone please explain what happened at the end of martha marcy may marlene. Martha marcy may marlene 2011 cast and crew after several years of living with a cult, martha elizabeth olsen finally escapes and calls her estranged sister, lucy sarah paulson, for help. As a former cult member myself, i worry that some former cult members who see martha marcy may marlene may actually be freaked by the experience. So the one i absolutely fell in love with was the jackson frank song, marlene and its the song in the end credits. A young woman frantically runs out of a house and into the woods as a man chases after her, calling out marcy may. If we were, we would no longer share her experience in not knowing. In her stunning feature film debut, elizabeth olsen delivers an. Martha marcy mar marlene is not that film, it is far more suggestive than explicit and keeps much of its action off screen. Xvideos elizabeth olsen forced in martha marcy may marlene free. The indeterminate final scene of martha marcy may marlene is a textbook study in the inconclusive conclusion, which has produced a rhetoric all its.
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