Martha Marcy May Marlene

Last updated

Martha Marcy May Marlene
Martha Marcy May Marlene.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sean Durkin
Written bySean Durkin
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Jody Lee Lipes
Edited by Zac Stuart-Pontier
Music by
  • Daniel Bensi
  • Saunder Jurriaans
Production
companies
This is that
Borderline Films
Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release dates
  • January 21, 2011 (2011-01-21)(Sundance)
  • October 21, 2011 (2011-10-21)(United States)
Running time
102 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
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.

Contents

Plot

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 Lucy and Ted 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".

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 Katie and Zoe who insisted that her rape was good. 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. 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.

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

Production

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

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

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

Awards
AwardCategoryRecipient(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 FilmNominated
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards [23] Best New Filmmaker Sean Durkin Won
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards [23] Best ActressElizabeth OlsenNominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards [23] Most Promising FilmmakerSean DurkinWon
Most Promising PerformerElizabeth OlsenWon
Best ActressElizabeth OlsenNominated
Best Screenplay, OriginalSean DurkinNominated
Detroit Film Critics Society [23] Breakthrough PerformanceElizabeth OlsenNominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards [23] Pauline Kael Breakout AwardElizabeth OlsenWon
Ghent International Film Festival [24] Special MentionElizabeth OlsenWon
Grand Prix (Best Film)Sean DurkinNominated
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 OlsenNominated
Breakthrough Director Sean DurkinNominated
Independent Spirit Awards [26] Best Female LeadElizabeth OlsenNominated
Best First Feature Antonio Campos (producer), Sean Durkin (director), Patrick Cunningham (producer), Josh Mond (producer), Chris Maybach (producer)Nominated
Best Supporting MaleJohn HawkesNominated
Producers AwardJosh MondNominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards [23] New Generation AwardSean Durkin, Antonio Campos, Josh Mond, Elizabeth OlsenWon
Online Film Critics Society Awards [23] Best EditingZachary Stuart-PontierNominated
Best Lead ActressElizabeth OlsenNominated
Best Original ScreenplaySean DurkinNominated
Best Supporting ActorJohn HawkesNominated
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards [27] Best ActressElizabeth OlsenNominated
Satellite Awards [23] Best Actress in a Motion PictureElizabeth OlsenNominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards [23] Best ActressElizabeth OlsenNominated
Best Supporting ActorJohn HawkesNominated
Sundance Film Festival [28] Directing Award (Dramatic)Sean DurkinWon
Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic)Sean DurkinNominated
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards [29] Best ActressElizabeth OlsenNominated
Best First FeatureSean DurkinNominated
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award [23] Best ActressElizabeth OlsenWon
Village Voice Film Poll [30] Best ActressElizabeth OlsenNominated
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards [23] Best ActressElizabeth OlsenNominated
Best Supporting ActorJohn HawkesNominated

Related Research Articles

This Is That Productions was one of the leading independent feature film production companies. Established in 2002, and based in New York City, the company was founded and fully owned by Ted Hope, Anne Carey, Anthony Bregman, and Diana Victor. The four partners previously worked together at the groundbreaking Good Machine, which Ted Hope co-founded in 1991.

The following is an overview of the events of 2011 in film, including the highest-grossing films, film festivals, award ceremonies and a list of films released and notable deaths. More film sequels were released in 2011 than any other year before it, with 27 sequels released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Olsen</span> American actress (born 1989)

Elizabeth Chase Olsen is an American actress. Born in Sherman Oaks, California, Olsen began acting at age four alongside her sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. She had her debut film role in the thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene in 2011, for which she was acclaimed and nominated for a Critics' Choice Movie Award. Olsen received a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination and graduated from New York University two years later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Sundance Film Festival</span>

The 27th annual Sundance Film Festival took place from January 20, 2011 until January 30, 2011 in Park City, Utah, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ogden, Utah, and Sundance, Utah.

The 37th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, given by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), honored the best in film for 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Durkin</span> Canadian film director

Timothy Sean Durkin is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Durkin is known for directing the critically acclaimed independent films Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), The Nest (2020), and The Iron Claw (2023). He is also known for directing episodes of the Channel 4 series Southcliffe (2013) and the Amazon Prime Video miniseries Dead Ringers (2023).

The 24th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, honoring the best in film for 2011, were announced on December 19, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Saylor</span> American actress

Morgan Frances Saylor is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Dana Brody in the Showtime series Homeland, 2019's Blow the Man Down and for her critically acclaimed portrayal of Leah in the 2016 Sundance film White Girl. Along with the rest of the cast of Homeland, Saylor was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2013 and 2014.

The 15th Online Film Critics Society Awards, honoring the best in film for 2011, were announced on 2 January 2012.

<i>Silent House</i> (2011 film) 2011 film by Chris Kentis

Silent House is a 2011 American independent psychological horror film directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, and starring Elizabeth Olsen. The plot focuses on a young woman who is terrorized in her family vacation home while cleaning the property with her father and uncle. The film is a remake of the 2010 Uruguayan film, La Casa Muda, which was allegedly based on an actual incident that occurred in a village in Uruguay in the 1940s. It is notable for its use of "real time" footage and the manufactured appearance of a single continuous shot, similar to Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisa Krause</span> American actress

Louisa Noel Krause is an American actress. After studying drama in college, she appeared in numerous off-Broadway productions while also appearing in episodes of New York-based network television series. Her first film role was in The Babysitters (2007). In 2017, she appeared in the lead role of Anna Garner in the television series The Girlfriend Experience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Abbott</span> American actor (born 1986)

Christopher Jacob Abbott is an American actor. He is known for his work in independent films. In 2011, Abbott made his feature film debut in Martha Marcy May Marlene and his Broadway debut in the revival of the play The House of Blue Leaves. Abbott received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead for the drama film James White (2015).

<i>We Are What We Are</i> (2013 film) 2013 film

We Are What We Are is a 2013 American horror film directed by Jim Mickle, and starring Bill Sage, Julia Garner, Ambyr Childers and Kelly McGillis. It was screened at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. It is a remake of the 2010 Mexican film of the same name. Both a sequel and prequel have been announced.

<i>Katie Says Goodbye</i> 2016 film

Katie Says Goodbye is a 2016 drama film written and directed by Wayne Roberts in his directorial debut. The film stars Olivia Cooke, Mireille Enos, Christopher Abbott, Mary Steenburgen, Jim Belushi, Keir Gilchrist and Chris Lowell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Mond</span> American film director

Josh Mond is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is known for producing the feature films Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) and Simon Killer (2012), and for writing and directing James White (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Campos (director)</span> American film producer, screenwriter and film director

Antonio Campos is an American filmmaker and producer best known for directing films such as Afterschool (2008), Simon Killer (2012), Christine (2016), and The Devil All the Time (2020). Campos is also known for creating the Max biographical crime series The Staircase (2022).

<i>Mandy</i> (2018 film) Film by Panos Cosmatos

Mandy is a 2018 American action horror dark fantasy film directed by Panos Cosmatos, from a screenplay by Cosmatos and Aaron Stewart-Ahn, and based on a story by Cosmatos. Starring Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Ned Dennehy, Olwen Fouéré, Richard Brake, and Bill Duke, the film follows Red Miller (Cage), a lumberjack seeking vengeance against cult leader Jeremiah Sand (Roache), as well as his devout followers, for the murder of his girlfriend, Mandy Bloom (Riseborough).

<i>Corporate Animals</i> 2019 film directed by Patrick Brice

Corporate Animals is a 2019 American comedy horror film directed by Patrick Brice and written by Sam Bain. The film stars Jessica Williams, Karan Soni, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Martha Kelly, Dan Bakkedahl, Calum Worthy, Jennifer Kim, Nasim Pedrad, Ed Helms, and Demi Moore.

Adam David Thompson is an American actor known for his roles in Outsiders, Godless, Mozart in the Jungle, and others.

This is a list of winners for the Sundance Film Festival Directing Award for dramatic features.

References

  1. ↑ "Martha Marcy May Marlene (15)". British Board of Film Classification . June 22, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  2. ↑ "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.
  3. ↑ "Martha Marcy May Marlene". The Numbers. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Lodge, Guy (October 31, 2011). "Interview: Sean Durkin on confronting his fears in 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'". Uproxx . Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Interview: Sean Durkin". Time Out . Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  6. ↑ Benardello, Karen (February 26, 2012). "Press Conference Interview With The Cast And Crew Of Mary Last Seen". wegotthiscovered.com. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  7. ↑ Guerrasio, Jason (October 23, 2011). "Trust Issues". Filmmaker Magazine . Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Elizabeth Olsen Calls 'Martha' Nude Scenes 'Weird'". MTV News. October 20, 2011. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  9. ↑ "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.
  10. ↑ Guerrasio, Jason (May 15, 2011). "Sean Durkin". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Official Selection". Cannes Film Festival official site. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Cannes film festival 2011: The full lineup". The Guardian . London. April 14, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  13. ↑ Lambert, Christine (2011), "Martha Marcy May Marlene premiere photos – 36th Toronto International Film Festival", DigitalHit.com, retrieved January 4, 2012
  14. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for October 21–23, 2011". Box Office Mojo . Amazon.com. October 24, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ "Martha Marcy May Marlene". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Martha Marcy May Marlene". Metacritic . Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  18. ↑ Lemire, Christy (December 22, 2011). "AP movie critic Christy Lemire's top 10 films of 2011". CBS News . Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  19. ↑ Ebert, Roger (October 26, 2011). "The psychic damage of a cult group". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  20. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (February 2, 2012). "Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)". The Guardian . Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  21. ↑ "2011 EDA Awards Winners". awfj.org. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Austin Film Critics Association Announces Awards". Austin Chronicle . December 30, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Martha Marcy May Marlene". Fox Searchlight . Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Elizabeth Olsen Wins Best Actress at Ghent Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter . October 19, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  25. ↑ ""Descendants," "Martha Marcy" Lead the Fox Searchlight-Friendly Gotham Award Nominations". IndieWire . October 20, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Film Independent Spirit Awards". sundance.org. December 19, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  27. ↑ "2011 Awards". San Diego Film Critics Society. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Sundance Awards: 'Like Crazy' Wins Dramatic Grand Jury Prize". TheWrap . January 29, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Past Award Winners". Toronto Film Critics Association. May 29, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  30. ↑ Thompson, Anne (December 21, 2011). "'Tree of Life,' 'A Separation' Lead Village Voice Poll, 'Margaret' Lands Three Wins". IndieWire.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.