Martha Marcy May Marlene
2011, Drama/Mystery and thriller, 1h 41m
211 Reviews 10,000+ RatingsWhat to know
Led by a mesmerizing debut performance from Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene is a distinctive, haunting psychological drama. Read critic reviews
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Critic Reviews for Martha Marcy May Marlene
All Critics (211) | Top Critics (62) | Fresh (189) | Rotten (22)
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In quiet, intimate ways, it is one of the most startling, haunting films you'll see all year.
March 18, 2014 | Full Review… -
Durkin intersperses the present-day scenes with increasingly revelatory flashbacks from Martha's two years in the cult.
March 18, 2014 | Rating: B | Full Review… -
With a diegesis mapped along the mental contours of its protagonist, Martha Marcy May Marlene harkens back to Pasolini's notion of the cinema of poetry--and achieves it beautifully.
June 28, 2013 | Full Review… -
MMMM emphasizes the social and economic discrepancies between Martha's then and now, and alludes to Lucy's guilt about not being there for her younger sister in the past.
February 18, 2012 | Rating: B+ | Full Review… -
Like the ordeals of the central character, the film flickers powerfully in the memory.
February 3, 2012 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
A slippery thriller about fugitive states, and not knowing where you belong, or even who you are.
February 3, 2012 | Rating: 4/5
Audience Reviews for Martha Marcy May Marlene
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May 22, 2016Something that is worth a watch. Elizabeth Olson give a great performance as an unstable cult escapee who still is uncomfortable in her return to the outside world.Kameron W Super Reviewer
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Oct 03, 2015Martha Marcy May Marlene starts better than it ends. Elizabeth Olson plays a sympathetic lead in an intense role. One expects there to be some kind of character development, some payoff for the emotional investment in the main character that the film builds up. Unfortunately, plotwise, the film devolves into a vehicle for cheap thrills and goes nowhere. One wishes it would have been more, but for what it is, it is still worth a view. Recommended to those interested in social dynamics and what life is like for people caught up in cults.Robert B Super Reviewer
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Sep 13, 2015Subtlety is the key to this film. Everything simmers below the surface.Marcus W Super Reviewer
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Dec 04, 2013Elizabeth Olsen makes her cinematic debut in Sean Durkin's 'Martha Marcy May Marlene', a psychological thriller about life after escaping (?) a cult and the paranoia that accompanies it. MMMM is an accomplishment of atmospheric filmmaking, with first-time director Durkin managing to shroud every moment of regular life with a sense of unease and brooding tension that usually wouldn't be there. Some shots last for what feels like an eternity whilst others pass within seconds, some moments you think you see something whilst in others you feel it, you never know what is -or isn't- coming and its gripping. The editing also adds to the sense of unease within the film, flitting between protagonist Martha's life at the cult and her current one without a moments notice. Everything within the way the film is made feels like it's out to get you, and, much like Martha, you don't know if it is or not. As far as performances are concerned Olsen does an outstanding job, playing Martha with a sense of subtlety and fragility that is skill-wise unmatched by the rest of the cast. John Hawkes also does a great job as the cult's charismatic leader, blurring the line between kindness and cruelness in an always-interesting fashion. Perhaps the film's only flaw is the way some of its characters react, with Martha's sister and brother in-law in particular coming off occasionally as so plundering its silly. Verdict: A great debut for both its star and director, Martha Marcy May Marlene is an intense ride.Cameron S Super Reviewer
Martha Marcy May Marlene Quotes
| Martha: | not everything has to be a big deal |
| Martha: | Not everything has to be a big deal. |
| Patrick: | Your my favorite. I won't lose you. |
| Patrick: | Death is pure love. |
| Lucy: | Sometimes I think I just should have come home, and made sure you went to college. You had so much potential. |
| Martha: | I don't need your guidance now and I didn't then. I am a teacher and a leader. You just never let me be that, but now I am, and I know who I am. |
| Lucy: | A teacher and a leader?What are you talking about? |
| Lucy: | A teacher and a leader? What are you talking about? |
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