Inexplicably swimming nude and crawling into bed with her sister and brother-in-law mid-coitus, Martha demonstrates some concerning behaviour, which is then contextualized by flashbacks to her cult life, where she was raped (with religious justification) and brainwashed into a hippie co-op lifestyle that occasionally divulged into a little petty theft and target practice.
Rather than exploit the more unseemly aspects, director Sean Durkin takes a quiet approach to the material, slowly building up the events and happenings with a deliberate, almost eerie pace. There’s a care to balance ideologues by having Martha occasionally make some astute observations about Lucy and Ted’s lifestyle, asking them why they need such a big house and engaging in a debate about defining oneself by career.
Even though the film touches upon the meek, idealistic nature of the cult victims, the actual psychology is quite superficial, relying specifically on disturbing moments and character conflicts to up the awe factor.
Resultantly, while disturbing, Martha Marcy May Marlene doesn’t quite pack the punch it aims for, having some hollowness where emotional resonance was intended.
via: exclaim
