Saint Maud

Saint Maud
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Rose Glass
Written by	Rose Glass
Produced by	Andrea Cornwell Oliver Kassman
Starring	Morfydd Clark Jennifer Ehle Lily Frazer Lily Knight Marcus Hutton Turlough Convery Rosie Sansom
Cinematography	Ben Fordesman
Edited by	Mark Towns
Music by	Adam Janota Bzowski
Production companies	Film4 BFI Escape Plan Productions
Distributed by	StudioCanal
Release dates	8 September 2019 (2019-09-08)(TIFF) 9 October 2020 (2020-10-09)(United Kingdom)
Running time	84 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$2.5 million [1]
Box office	$1.6 million [2] [3]

Saint Maud is a 2019 British psychological horror film written and directed by Rose Glass in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Morfydd Clark as a religious private carer who becomes dangerously fixated with saving the soul of her patient. Jennifer Ehle, Lily Frazer, Lily Knight, Marcus Hutton, Turlough Convery and Rosie Sansom appear in supporting roles.

Saint Maud premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2019, and was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2020 by StudioCanal. It received critical acclaim, with particular praise for Glass' direction and screenplay, the performances of Clark and Ehle, and Fordesman's cinematography. At the 74th British Academy Film Awards, Glass was nominated for Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. The film earned a record seventeen nominations at the British Independent Film Awards 2020 and won two, Best Cinematography for Fordesman and the Douglas Hickox Award for Glass. ^{[4] [5]}

Plot

A nurse named Katie fails to save the life of a patient in her care, despite attempting CPR.

Some time later, Katie, now referring to herself as Maud, has become a devout Roman Catholic and is working as a private palliative care nurse in an English seaside town. She is assigned to care for Amanda, a hedonistic former dancer and choreographer from the United States who is terminally ill with stage four lymphoma. Amanda is embittered by her fate and confesses to Maud that she fears the oblivion of death. Maud comes to believe that God has tasked her with saving the atheist Amanda's soul. Maud reveals to Amanda that she sometimes feels God's presence, and she and Amanda appear to be overcome with ecstasy as they pray together.

Maud becomes suspicious of Amanda's lesbian companion Carol, who visits regularly and with whom Amanda has sex. She implores Carol to stop visiting because she believes Amanda's soul is in jeopardy due to distractions of the flesh. Carol is incensed by this, accusing Maud of homophobia, but Maud rebukes this stating that she would not care whether Carol were a man or a woman. Carol attends Amanda's birthday party anyway, and in front of Maud, Amanda informs the partygoers that Maud tried to drive Carol away. The party guests laugh at Maud, calling her "Saint Maude", and wrap a cover on her head. Amanda mocks Maud for trying to save her soul and suggests that she is a homophobic prude, jealous of her relationship with Carol. Maud strikes Amanda and is dismissed from her job.

Believing that God has rejected her, Maud visits a pub to find companionship but is rejected by most of the people she meets. She goes home with a man and during sex suffers flashbacks of the death of her patient and her attempts at CPR, which causes her to stop. The man feigns sympathy but proceeds to rape Maud, ^[6] who appears to dissociate. As she is leaving, he taunts her by revealing that he remembers her hooking up with a friend of his during her hedonic past.

While out walking, she encounters Amanda's new nurse and storms off when she realizes that her replacement enjoys a good relationship with Amanda. In her decrepit apartment, Maud begs for a sign from God who appears to tell her to be ready for an act that will demonstrate her faith. Repentant of her actions, Maud assembles a spugna for her right foot to practice the mortification of the flesh.

That night, Maud, dressed in a makeshift robe and wearing rosary beads, enters Amanda's house after the care nurse leaves. She finds Amanda in bed, weakened. Amanda asks forgiveness for mocking her faith, and Maud joyously reminds her of the time they experienced God's presence. Amanda reveals that she feigned the experience and that she believes God is not real. Maud recoils in horror as a now-demonic Amanda hurls her across the room and mocks her for needing to prove her faith. In a delirious frenzy, Maud stabs Amanda to death with a pair of scissors.

In the morning, Maud wanders onto a beach and douses herself with acetone before horrified onlookers. She utters her last words in Welsh—"Glory to God"—as she self-immolates. In her last moments, angel wings appear upon her and the onlookers kneel in awe as Maud looks up to the sky glowing with grace. The scene then smash-cuts for a split second to the reality of Maud being burned alive and screaming in agony.

Cast

• Morfydd Clark as Katie/Maud
• Jennifer Ehle as Amanda Köhl
• Lily Frazer as Carol
• Lily Knight as Joy
• Marcus Hutton as Richard
• Turlough Convery as Christian
• Rosie Sansom as Ester
• Carl Prekopp as Homeless Pat
• Noa Bodner as Hilary
• Takatsuna Mukai as Hiro
• Brian Jackson as a drummer

Production

The film was developed by Escape Plan Productions with funding from Film4 Productions and the British Film Institute. In November 2018, it was announced Clark and Ehle had joined the cast of the film, with Rose Glass directing from her own screenplay. Principal photography began that same month in North London and Scarborough, and lasted for five weeks. ^[7]

Release

Saint Maud had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2019. ^{[8] [9]} Shortly afterwards, A24 and StudioCanal acquired US and UK distribution rights to the film. ^{[10] [11]} It also screened at Fantastic Fest on 19 September 2019, ^[12] and the BFI London Film Festival on 5 October 2019. ^[13] The film went on to receive a Special Commendation in the Official Competition section of the London Film Festival, with the jury president, Wash Westmoreland, saying, "This dazzling directorial debut marks the emergence of a powerful new voice in British cinema." ^[14]

It was originally scheduled to be released in the United States on 10 April 2020, ^[15] and in the United Kingdom on 1 May 2020. ^[16] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the release was postponed in the United States until 17 July 2020, and was later pulled entirely from the schedule. ^{[17] [18] [19] [20]} It was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2020, and on DVD and Blu-ray on 1 February 2021. ^{[21] [22]} It was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on 29 January 2021, followed by video on demand and Epix on 12 February 2021. ^[23]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 92% of 193 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8/10.The website's consensus reads: "A brilliantly unsettling blend of body horror and psychological thriller, Saint Maud marks an impressive debut for writer-director Rose Glass." ^[24] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 83 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". ^[25]

Director Danny Boyle described Saint Maud as "a genuinely unsettling and intriguing film. Striking, affecting and mordantly funny at times, its confidence evokes the ecstasy of films like Carrie , The Exorcist , and Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin ." ^[26] Katie Rife of The A.V. Club gave the film a grade of "B+", saying that the finale was shocking. ^[27] In a review for Common Sense Media , Danny Brogan wrote, "A deeply unsettling, yet superb first feature film from director and writer Rose Glass, this psychological horror is far more than just jump-scares – though there are plenty of those too. At the heart of Saint Maud is loneliness and how it can manifest. Maud is a deeply lonely character, whose need for redemption and a desire to belong, all contribute to form a dangerous cocktail with devastating consequences." ^[28]

Film reviewer Josh Larsen of Think Christian criticized the film: ^[29]

It's interesting to me that aside from some of her basic devotional habits, we learn little about Maud's faith. If she was raised in the church, we have no hint of it. If she's acting out of a zealous, recent conversion, those details are left vague. I think this disinterest in the nature of Maud's faith is a fault of the film, which could be accused of exploiting both religion and mental illness for ghastly thrills. ^[29]

Film critic Mark Kermode listed it as his favourite film of 2020, calling it an "electrifying debut". ^[30]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2021	41st London Film Critics' Circle Awards	Film of the Year	Saint Maud	Nominated
		Director of the Year	Rose Glass	Nominated
		Actress of the Year	Morfydd Clark	Nominated
		Supporting Actress of the Year	Jennifer Ehle	Nominated
		Screenwriter of the Year	Rose Glass	Nominated
		British/Irish Film of the Year	Saint Maud	Won
		British/Irish Actress of the Year	Morfydd Clark	Won
		Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker of the Year	Rose Glass	Won
	23rd British Independent Film Awards	Best British Independent Film	Rose Glass, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman	Nominated
		Best Director	Rose Glass	Nominated
		Best Actress	Morfydd Clark	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Jennifer Ehle	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Rose Glass	Nominated
		The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)		Won
		Best Debut Screenwriter		Nominated
		Breakthrough Producer	Oliver Kassman	Nominated
		Best Casting	Kharmel Cochrane	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Ben Fordesman	Won
		Best Costume Design	Tina Kalivas	Nominated
		Best Editing	Mark Towns	Nominated
		Best Effects	Scott MacIntyre, Baris Kareli, Kristyan Mallett	Nominated
		Best Make-Up & Hair Design	Jacquetta Levon	Nominated
		Best Music	Adam Janota Bzowski	Nominated
		Best Production Design	Paulina Rzeszowska	Nominated
		Best Sound	Paul Davies, Simon Farmer, Andrew Stirk	Nominated
	74th British Academy Film Awards	Outstanding British Film	Rose Glass, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman	Nominated
		Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer	Rose Glass, Oliver Kassman	Nominated
	30th British Academy Cymru Awards	Best Actress	Morfydd Clark	Won
2022	24th Fangoria Chainsaw Awards	Best First Feature	Saint Maud	Won
		Best Director	Rose Glass	Nominated
		Best Lead Performance	Morfydd Clark	Nominated
		Best Supporting Performance	Jennifer Ehle	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Rose Glass	Nominated

References

1. https://www.screendaily.com/features/rose-glass-talks-love-lies-bleeding-casting-kristen-stewart-and-working-with-a-much-bigger-budget/5190675.article
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14. "Monos, Atlantics and White Riot among prize winners at LFF 2019". What's Worth Seeing. 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
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18. Exhibitor Relations Co. [@ERCboxoffice] (24 March 2020). "A24's SAINT MAUD moves away from an April 10 wide release...and now rattles its chains on the dreaded date" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020– via Twitter.
19. Miska, Brad (16 June 2020). "MOVIESRejoice! A24's 'Saint Maud' Brings Horror Back to Theaters on July 17th". Bloody Disgusting . Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
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External links

• Saint Maud at IMDb
• Saint Maud at the British Film Institute ^{[ better source needed ]}