A winning performance shines despite the questions Martha Marcy May Marlene leaves
H.G. Watson
LANCE REPORTER
M
artha Marcy May Marlene is a lesson in how a great performance can save a problematic film. In this case, Elizabeth Olsen as the titular Martha delivers an astounding performance in a movie about cults that leaves far too many gaps to be satisfying.
Martha calls up her sister, after having disappeared for two years, to ask for a ride and a place to stay. In a series of flashbacks, it's revealed that Martha had joined a cult and had been renamed Marcy May. Martha has been deeply traumatized by her time away, to the point of complete psychological breakdown and an inability to cope with the real world.
There are cults, and then there's Hollywood's idea of a cult. In this case, the cultists are pulled out of the pages of an American Apparel ad. They're shiny and pretty and they are all drinking the Kool-Aid, so to speak.
We know the cult is nefarious. They are several shocking acts throughout the film that drive this home. But to what end? No mention is made of why these people have been brought together. Without context, the horrible acts just exist simply to be shocking. In the plot, they serve to further damage Martha. Do cults need a logical reason to exist? The answer is obviously no. But for the purposes of narrative structure, the cult needs a reason beyond shock factor to exist in the context of the film.
Martha's past and motive for joining the cult is only hinted at. Her dad's a deadbeat, her mom died and she hated her rich, privileged life. It checks off all the requirements for being a disaffected young person. But joining a cult is an extreme step that deserves explanation and examination.
It's here, that the film at least succeeds in keeping the viewer interested in the answer. Olsen is an actor who doesn't need to do much; she has the gift of being able to draw in the audience. You want to know more about Martha and why she made the choices she did because Olsen hints at the answers. Director Sean Durkin, however, refuses to give the viewers any.
Martha's decision may have been more understandable had her home situation seemed more dire, or at least more cold. But her sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson) is kind, if a little inexperienced. She offers Martha protein bars as comfort food, an act that would certainly drive me out of the house.
Cults are scary from the outside because it's terrifying to think of giving up your autonomy for one single goal and being controlled by someone. The control element exists in Martha Marcy May Marlene, but what is lacking is the reason.
