Potential spoilers.
Martha Marcy May Marlene (hereafter referred to as MMMM) is not a good movie if you like solid answers and conclusions. We see glimpses into the past and the psyche of the main character, but we never know for sure what's really going on. Like Black Swan, MMMM blurs the line between reality and what's happening in the heroine's mind. Unlike Black Swan, MMMM is subtle, slowly paced, and gripping in a way that twists your guts rather than slapping you in the face.
MMMM is about a young woman (Elizabeth Olsen, a radiant and talented newcomer to film) who, in the opening scenes, runs away from what appears to be a family-like cult. The word "cult" is never uttered in the film, but it's clear enough that this group of people who live together on a farm in upstate New York are not part of an egalitarian commune. They are drawn in and manipulated in a variety of ways by Patrick (John Hawkes), the leader of this group/cult/family. It's easy to see how the women and men find themselves under Patrick's thumb--he's older than most of them and speaks with an authority that seems wise and seductive to the college-age members of the cult. The members of the cult also keep the other ones in line. When they step out of line, they aren't punished brutally (although the threat of violence hangs in the air), but rather approached with concern and gentle chiding: "Why did you run away to town? Patrick's worried about you." Through this gentle but consistent brain-washing, the heroine (known as Martha to her biological family and Marcy May to her cult family) loses herself to the cult for two years before she finds the courage to run away.MMMM juxtaposes "before" and "after" scenes. The before scenes take place on the farm where the cult lives and reveal the weird rules and sexual violence Martha was subjected to. The after scenes take place at a lake house in Connecticut where Martha's sister, Lucy, and Lucy's husband, Ted, live. Lucy is the only family Martha has (mom is dead and dad's out of the picture) and is woefully unprepared to care for Martha who is clearly suffering from some sort of PTSD. Instead of letting Martha open up about her missing years when she's ready, Lucy repeatedly asks Martha "what happened to you?" in a tone that causes Martha to clam up. Lucy and Ted respond with frustration to Martha's inappropriate and strange ways--crawling into bed with them while they're having sex, asking inappropriate questions, etc. In one very telling scene, Martha freaks out at a party and becomes hysterical. Lucy and Ted respond to this breakdown by immediately giving Martha a valium and putting her to bed. To them, saving face at a party is more important than addressing Martha's obvious trauma and mental distress head on.
It was odd to me how Lucy dealt with her sister's disappearance and sudden reappearance. If my sister fell off the face of the earth only to reappear two years lately in filthy clothes, crying and acting strangely, damn if I wouldn't assume that she had been abused or traumatized in some bizarre way, even if she denied it. But Martha and Lucy are presented as having grown up with a dead mother and absent father, so I can see how that would affect their ability to relate and care for one another. Lucy treats Martha as if she's a cross between a distant relative that you have to be polite to and a wild animal who you're a little scared will attack you. There is no sisterly love between the two beyond the guilt Lucy feels: "I'm the only family she has" Lucy explains to Ted. To Lucy, Martha's return is more of a burden than a joy or a relief
As I said above, MMMM is a film that raises more questions than answers them. The last 20 minutes or so are especially challenging because there is little distinction between Martha's memories, fears, and reality. Is she being hunted by the cult? Is she having hallucinations? It's up to the viewer to decide. MMMM is an interesting film because it touches on the problem of mental illness and the effects of brain-washing, rape, and abuse, without directly making a statement about any of it. And although Martha comes off as increasingly disturbed and, yes, a tad crazy, our sympathies lie with her rather than with her sister and brother-in-law, who despite their concern, are more interested in not having their comfortable lifestyle interrupted than in trying to understand what happened to Martha.
Martha proves that she is a young woman of immense courage and strength, even after years of manipulation and abuse. But despite her survival instinct, she can't escape paranoia and haunted memories.
4 out of 5 stars
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