Martha Marcy May Marlene
Martha Marcy May Marlene | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Sean Durkin |
Written by | Sean Durkin |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Jody Lee Lipes |
Edited by | Zac Stuart-Pontier |
Music by |
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Production companies | This is that Borderline Films |
Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 102 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $600,000[2] |
Box office | $5.4 million[3] |
Martha Marcy May Marlene is a 2011 American psychological thriller-drama film written and directed by Sean Durkin in his directorial feature film debut, and starring Elizabeth Olsen (in her film debut), John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, and Hugh Dancy. 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.
Plot
[edit]A 22-year-old woman named Martha has been abused by a cult in the Catskill Mountains for two years. The patriarch, Patrick, named her Marcy May. She escapes into the woods, arriving at a nearby town. In a diner restaurant, she is confronted by Watts, a cult member, who attempts to persuade her to return, but when she refuses, he lets her leave. Martha calls her sister, Lucy, who picks her up and takes her to the vacation lake house in Connecticut that she shares with her husband, a successful architect named Ted.
Martha exhibits strange behavior by skinny dipping in public, sleeping all the time, not eating, and arguing with her sister and brother-in-law about how to live, specifically arguing over the need for career and possessions. Lucy reveals she abandoned Martha and is now attempting to get her back into her life, while she and Ted are also trying to have their own child. One night, Martha climbs into bed with Ted and Lucy while they are having sex, angering Ted. Martha then attempts to phone the cult as she misses them, but she hangs up when cult matriarch Katie answers using the code name "Marlene Lewis” and finds out Martha is on the phone, which terrifies her.
In flashbacks, Martha recalls a series of disturbing events that led to her escape from the cult. Martha became a member through her friend, Zoe. She was initially receptive but somewhat wary of Patrick, Katie, and Zoe. She was later convinced by Zoe and Patrick to let her guard down and "share herself", only to end up being drugged by Katie and brutally raped by Patrick, in an initiation cleansing ritual. She was then gaslit by the cult matriarch, Katie who insisted that her rape was good, and by Zoe who said the “horrible pain” she endured was a good thing. While in bed together, Zoe told Martha she cares for her, though she was envious of the attention Patrick showed Martha. Patrick later urged Martha to kill a cat, which Martha refused. Her refusal prompted him to berate her and for failing to follow the cult's ideals; he threatened to "cleanse" her, in front of other cult members, to establish his dominance. Later, Patrick fondled Martha while the cult members were swimming naked in a lake. In another scene, Martha climbed into Patrick's bed, and was awoken the following morning by Patrick having sex with her; she appeared angry and distressed but didn't stop him. Patrick constantly attempted to impregnate Martha to spread his genes, despite her resistance. Martha subsequently began participating in burglaries with the other cultists, including one where they murdered a homeowner who walked in on them. After witnessing the murder, Martha had a mental breakdown, to which Patrick responded by forcefully subduing her and berating her again; he then shifted to telling her that she is his favorite person and that he will never let her go, fondling her and latter assaulting her in the bathtub.
Lucy and Ted host a party at their home, inviting numerous friends from the city. Martha is visibly nervous during the gathering, and she has a psychotic episode when she misidentifies the bartender as a cult member, and she needs to be sedated. Ted attempts to convince Lucy to send Martha to a psychiatric hospital, an idea Lucy rejects.
Later that night, Martha has a nightmare of being sexually abused by Patrick and suffers a panic attack. Ted tries to calm her down, but Martha, thinking he is Patrick, kicks him down the staircase. Lucy threatens to send Martha to a psychiatric hospital, to which Martha angrily responds that Lucy will be a terrible mother. The next day, Lucy and Martha somewhat reconcile, and Martha goes swimming. She sees a man watching her, across the shore, and she leaves the water. When Martha departs the house with Lucy and Ted, she looks behind from the backseat of the car, as another driver follows them.
Cast
[edit]- Elizabeth Olsen as Martha/Marcy May/"Marlene Lewis"
- John Hawkes as Patrick
- Sarah Paulson as Lucy
- Hugh Dancy as Ted
- Brady Corbet as Watts
- Christopher Abbott as Max
- Michael Chmiel as Scruffy man
- Maria Dizzia as Katie
- Julia Garner as Sarah
- Louisa Krause as Zoe
- Adam David Thompson as Bartender
Production
[edit]Sean Durkin started writing the script of Martha Marcy May Marlene in 2007.[4] When researching his script, Durkin read about what he calls "the big ones" of cults: Jonestown, the Manson family, the Unification Church of the United States and David Koresh. He realised he wanted to make something more experiential than political and downplayed the ideology and goals of the cult.[5]
While researching, Durkin became fascinated by how someone gets into the farm, commune, or group, and he made a short film of the name Mary Last Seen about it, starring Brady Corbet, who plays cult recruiter Watts, in both the short and feature films. Mary Last Seen won the award for best short film at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Directors' Fortnight. While Mary Last Seen was about how someone gets into the cult, Martha Marcy May Marlene was about what happens to someone when they exit. Durkin made the short to show the world Martha was in and also with the intent to send it out with the script for Martha Marcy May Marlene to potential investors.[4] Mary Last Seen was selected for the Sundance Film Festival, and Durkin was given a distribution deal with Fox Searchlight.[6]
Durkin and cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes were inspired by the films Rosemary's Baby, 3 Women, Klute, Interiors, and Margot at the Wedding. The look of the film was particularly inspired by the last film.[7]
Elizabeth Olsen admitted that her nude scenes were a bit odd to film, but she said that simply diving into the water was far more perilous than taking her clothes off, in front of a camera, because "The lake was daunting, and in some lake scenes, we could only shoot once, because physically, it was too cold for a body to be in there very long."[8]
Release
[edit]Martha Marcy May Marlene premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in January,[9] with Durkin winning the festival's U.S. Directing Award for Best Drama.[10] It also screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival[11][12] and at the 36th Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2011.[13] The film received a limited release in the United States on October 21, 2011.
In its opening weekend in limited release, Martha Marcy May Marlene grossed $137,651 in the United States.[14] 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released Martha Marcy May Marlene on DVD and Blu-ray on February 21, 2012.[15]
Reception
[edit]Martha Marcy May Marlene received highly positive reviews, with Olsen's performance as the traumatized Martha met with critical acclaim; the film holds a 90% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus capsule stating, "Led by a mesmerizing debut performance from Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene is a distinctive, haunting psychological drama."[16] On Metacritic the film has a 75 out of 100 score on 39 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17] Christy Lemire of the Associated Press named Martha Marcy May Marlene the best film of 2011.[18] Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, describing Olsen as "a genuine discovery ... She has a wide range of emotions to deal with here, and in her first major role, she seems instinctively to know how to do that." Ebert's only major complaint was that the movie's chronological shifts were "a shade too clever. In a serious film, there is no payoff for trickery."[19] In contrast, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian felt that the flashbacks were "cleverly and indirectly" structured throughout the film, and ultimately rated it with four stars out of five.[20]
Accolades
[edit]Awards | |||
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Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Outcome |
Alliance of Women Film Journalists[21] | Best Breakthrough Performance | Elizabeth Olsen | Won |
Best Supporting Actor | John Hawkes | Nominated | |
Austin Film Critics Association[22] | Best Film | Nominated | |
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards[23] | Best New Filmmaker | Sean Durkin | Won |
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards[23] | Best Actress | Elizabeth Olsen | Nominated |
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards[23] | Most Promising Filmmaker | Sean Durkin | Won |
Most Promising Performer | Elizabeth Olsen | Won | |
Best Actress | Elizabeth Olsen | Nominated | |
Best Screenplay, Original | Sean Durkin | Nominated | |
Detroit Film Critics Society[23] | Breakthrough Performance | Elizabeth Olsen | Nominated |
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards[23] | Pauline Kael Breakout Award | Elizabeth Olsen | Won |
Ghent International Film Festival[24] | Special Mention | Elizabeth Olsen | Won |
Grand Prix (Best Film) | Sean Durkin | Nominated | |
Gotham Awards[25] | Best Ensemble Cast | Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy, Louisa Krause, Julia Garner, Brady Corbet, Maria Dizzia, Christopher Abbott | Nominated |
Breakthrough Actress | Elizabeth Olsen | Nominated | |
Breakthrough Director | Sean Durkin | Nominated | |
Independent Spirit Awards[26] | Best Female Lead | Elizabeth Olsen | Nominated |
Best First Feature | Antonio Campos (producer), Sean Durkin (director), Patrick Cunningham (producer), Josh Mond (producer), Chris Maybach (producer) | Nominated | |
Best Supporting Male | John Hawkes | Nominated | |
Producers Award | Josh Mond | Nominated | |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards[23] | New Generation Award | Sean Durkin, Antonio Campos, Josh Mond, Elizabeth Olsen | Won |
Online Film Critics Society Awards[23] | Best Editing | Zachary Stuart-Pontier | Nominated |
Best Lead Actress | Elizabeth Olsen | Nominated | |
Best Original Screenplay | Sean Durkin | Nominated | |
Best Supporting Actor | John Hawkes | Nominated | |
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards[27] | Best Actress | Elizabeth Olsen | Nominated |
Satellite Awards[23] | Best Actress in a Motion Picture | Elizabeth Olsen | Nominated |
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards[23] | Best Actress | Elizabeth Olsen | Nominated |
Best Supporting Actor | John Hawkes | Nominated | |
Sundance Film Festival[28] | Directing Award (Dramatic) | Sean Durkin | Won |
Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic) | Sean Durkin | Nominated | |
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards[29] | Best Actress | Elizabeth Olsen | Nominated |
Best First Feature | Sean Durkin | Nominated | |
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award[23] | Best Actress | Elizabeth Olsen | Won |
Village Voice Film Poll[30] | Best Actress | Elizabeth Olsen | Nominated |
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards[23] | Best Actress | Elizabeth Olsen | Nominated |
Best Supporting Actor | John Hawkes | Nominated |
References
[edit]- ^ "Martha Marcy May Marlene (15)". British Board of Film Classification. June 22, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
- ^ "The Q&A Podcast (interview with screenwriter-director Sean Durkin and producers Josh Mond & Antonio Campos)". The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith. October 21, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- ^ "Martha Marcy May Marlene". The Numbers. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
- ^ a b Lodge, Guy (October 31, 2011). "Interview: Sean Durkin on confronting his fears in 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'". Uproxx. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Interview: Sean Durkin". Time Out. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ Benardello, Karen (February 26, 2012). "Press Conference Interview With The Cast And Crew Of Mary Last Seen". wegotthiscovered.com. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ Guerrasio, Jason (October 23, 2011). "Trust Issues". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Elizabeth Olsen Calls 'Martha' Nude Scenes 'Weird'". MTV News. October 20, 2011. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
- ^ "2011 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films in Competition". Sundance.org. December 1, 2010. Archived from the original on February 2, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ Guerrasio, Jason (May 15, 2011). "Sean Durkin". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Official Selection". Cannes Film Festival official site. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ "Cannes film festival 2011: The full lineup". The Guardian. London. April 14, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Lambert, Christine (2011), "Martha Marcy May Marlene premiere photos – 36th Toronto International Film Festival", DigitalHit.com, retrieved January 4, 2012
- ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for October 21–23, 2011". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. October 24, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
- ^ Whitman, Howard (February 29, 2012). "Blu-ray Review: Martha Marcy May Marlene". Technologytell. www.technologytell.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
- ^ "Martha Marcy May Marlene". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ "Martha Marcy May Marlene". Metacritic. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
- ^ Lemire, Christy (December 22, 2011). "AP movie critic Christy Lemire's top 10 films of 2011". CBS News. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (October 26, 2011). "The psychic damage of a cult group". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (February 2, 2012). "Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)". The Guardian. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "2011 EDA Awards Winners". awfj.org. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- ^ "Austin Film Critics Association Announces Awards". Austin Chronicle. December 30, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Martha Marcy May Marlene". Fox Searchlight. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Elizabeth Olsen Wins Best Actress at Ghent Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. October 19, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ ""Descendants," "Martha Marcy" Lead the Fox Searchlight-Friendly Gotham Award Nominations". IndieWire. October 20, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Film Independent Spirit Awards". sundance.org. December 19, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "2011 Awards". San Diego Film Critics Society. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Sundance Awards: 'Like Crazy' Wins Dramatic Grand Jury Prize". TheWrap. January 29, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Past Award Winners". Toronto Film Critics Association. May 29, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ Thompson, Anne (December 21, 2011). "'Tree of Life,' 'A Separation' Lead Village Voice Poll, 'Margaret' Lands Three Wins". IndieWire.
Bibliography
[edit]- Vizcarrondo, Sara Maria, "Martha Marcy May Marlene", Box Office Magazine, September 12, 2011
- Zakarin, Jordan, "'Martha Marcy May Marlene' Director, Producers Talk Cults, Time Shifts & Elizabeth Olsen", The Huffington Post, September 12, 2011
External links
[edit]- 2011 films
- 2010s American films
- 2010s English-language films
- 2010s mystery thriller films
- 2011 directorial debut films
- 2011 independent films
- 2011 psychological thriller films
- American independent films
- American mystery thriller films
- American psychological thriller films
- English-language independent films
- Features based on short films
- Films about cults
- Films about post-traumatic stress disorder
- Films about rape in the United States
- Films about runaways
- Films set in Connecticut
- Films set in New York (state)
- Films shot in New York (state)
- Fox Searchlight Pictures films
- Sundance Film Festival award-winning films