The predominant theme of Martha Marcy May Marlene is power, though few characters in the film actually possess it. Rather, it is the illusion of power to which much of the cast so desperately cling, including those who have not been indoctrinated into a cult.
Martha was barely out of her teens when she was brought to live on the secluded commune lead by Patrick, a scruffy naturalist whose welcoming demeanor conceals a vicious core. We are introduced to Martha (known to her comrades as Marcy May, and Marlene to those who call over the commune’s lone phone line) just as she’s managed to flee Patrick’s grasp, and follow her to her sister’s eloquent lakeside vacation home. There, Martha drifts back and forth between her present and past, as the memories of what she’s endured for the past two years begin to meld with where she is now. When all is done, little remains said, and the only thing clear about Martha is that her past is something she will never truly escape.
While Martha may not have any power over her life (in spite of being “a teacher and a leader”), she is the focal point for all the power struggles in Martha Marcy May Marlene. Even the title works to suggest the various opposing forces that are vying over her identity. Martha’s sister Sarah is unable to help her, and actively seems to avoid attempting to as she and her husband retreat into their luxurious home and pastimes. Patrick, meanwhile, may lose Martha physically early on, but his hold over “Marcy May” endures via the flashback sequences, as well as Martha’s crippling disconnection with the world around her. Such struggles for control extend far beyond what the film chooses to show us, and therefore force the audience to carry such thoughts with them long after the credits roll.
Much is made over directorial debuts, and indeed much credit for this film’s success goes to rising filmmaker Sean Durkin. Much credit goes to the gripping performances of Elizabeth Olsen as the tortured Martha and John Hawkes as Patrick, a more subtle but equally threatening rendition of his character Teardrop from 2010s Winter’s Bone. Ultimately, it’s Durkin’s ability to inject every scene with a looming sense of dread and paranoia that makes this film work so well. While the transitions between the scenes at the vacation home and the commune seem a little on-the-nose at first, they never stop keeping the viewer off their guard, and only grow more effective as the film builds to its hauntingly vague conclusion.
The DVD (currently available in stores and online for a neat $15 to $20), pays equal respect both to the film’s craft and its subject matter. Several behind-the-scenes features chronicle Durkin’s construction of the movie’s taut atmosphere, while Durkin’s pseudo-prequel Mary Last Seen helps round out the film’s world. Bridging these features somewhat is a brief yet illuminating short feature focusing on the psychology at work within the cult dynamic, a nice complement that makes the package educational as well as gripping entertainment.
Martha Marcy May Marlene is rated R for strong language, mature themes, strong sexuality and nudity.
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