A trembling young woman phones her estranged sister to pick her up from a rural location, and goes to live with her and her husband. While attempting to adjust and exhibiting increasingly bizarre behavior, she reflects on the abusive cult from which she fled and its controlling, domineering leader. "Martha Marcy May Marlene" represents two breakthroughs and incredible introduction to the film world. The first is Elizabeth Olsen, who distances herself from her famous twin sisters and turns in an incredible and dark performance as the troubled Martha. The second is writer/director Sean Durkin, who with his debut film, crafts a hypnotic, visually stunning movie that weaves between two separate narratives. As we go back and forth between Martha's time at her sister's summer home and the time at the commune, the technique becomes seamless and leads to great payoff later in the film. Great character actor John Hawkes is also menacing as the manipulative cult leader. "Martha Marcy May Marlene" is a unique and sure-handed centered on an intense and brooding lead performance.
