Martha Marcy May Marlene

If you ask Sean Durkin the writer/director of Martha Marcy May Marlene (hereafter MMMM) about the film he's likely to describe it as documenting the psychological recovery of a recently escaped member of a cult. Given it's his film I shouldn't be one to argue. But my perspective is a bit different, viewing it as a suspense-thriller/horror film masquerading as a psychological drama. The fact that both views are equally legitimate is part of the genius of the film. Combined with the strong performance by Elizabeth Olsen in the lead role of Martha those reasons go a long way towards explaining the accolades MMMM has been earning since Sundance this January. While my partial detachment from the goings on keep me from giving it my highest ratings it's certainly worth checking out.  It's a really solid tale of seduction by a cult and hoping with the aftereffects immediately upon leaving them.  Whether that's something I really needed to see is something I'm less sure about.  My fuller thoughts are available over at Three Imaginary Girls if you're interested.

In an interesting side note it's starting to feel like Fox Searchlight is becoming the go-to distributor for interesting cult themed films in 2011. In addition to MMMM they've also snapped up the "other" cult picture from Sundance, Sound of My Voice.  While I don't have a review up on that yet (it's patiently awaiting the release) do make a mental note to catch that when it comes out.  It's sort of fantastic.