Film Review “Martha Marcy May Marlene”

Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes and Sarah Paulson
Directed by: Sean Durkin
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hour 42 mins
Fox Searchlight

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

A powerful father-figure runs a small “family.” His specialty is taking in young women who have had bad home lives. He talks to them, sings them songs and then eventually “cleanses” them (wink). If you’re thinking Charles Manson you’re not far off. Only this time the “M” in question is Martha. Or Marcy May. Or Marlene.

A mediocre film at best, the film is being heralded for what is truly its best feature: the breakout performance by newcomer Elizabeth Olsen (gratuitous mention that she is the younger sister of the famed Olsen twins). When we first meet Olsen, she is part of the working commune. One morning she wakes up in her communal bed and heads into the woods. “Marcy May,” someone yells after her, “where are you going?” Soon she finds herself in town where she goes to the nearest pay phone and dials. After ignoring the continuous “hellos” coming from the other end of the phone she mumbles into the mouthpiece. “Martha” comes the questioning reply. Confused yet?

The feature writing/directing debut of Durkin, the film has many freshman mistakes that, while they don’t bury the film, help slow it down. The movie is told in both present time and flashback. When Martha meets Patrick (Hawkes, an Oscar nominee for “Winter’s Bone), the head of the “family,” he tells her she looks like a Marcy May. When we join her in the present, reunited after two years with her sister (Paulson) and her new husband (Hugh Dancy) she is clearly oblivious on how to act. When she goes swimming she thinks nothing of diving in naked. And she has no idea what shes done wrong after she climbs into bed with sis and her hubby in the middle of their lovemaking. Both notice that Martha is acting strange but it isn’t until an hour and a half into the film that the magic question is asked: What happened to you? A rather choppy ending doesn’t do the film any favors either.

On the plus side, the performances are pretty solid across the board. Hawkes has a quiet peacefulness in his performance, yet still manages to project true menace. We can’t quite see through him, and that is what allows him to convince his followers to submit to him freely. But the star here is Olsen. If Hawkes is Manson then Olsen is Linda Kasabian. She has seen the little man behind the curtain and wants to run while she still can. Her performance puts this film on the “I like it” side of two and a half stars.