MCU Star Elizabeth Olsen’s Psychological Thriller That’s a Masterpiece Lands New Streaming Home
Martha Marcy May Marlene, the film debut of MCU star Elizabeth Olsen and one of the most underrated of the 2010s, has found a new streaming home. HBO Max subscribers can already find the crime thriller in their library. Other titles added during the August update include The Woman King, The Legend of Ochi, Final Destination Bloodlines, and Alien Covenant.
The film was written and directed by Sean Durkin, and stars Olsen in the lead role alongside a great ensemble cast that includes Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy, John Hawkes, Christopher Abbott, Brady Corbet, and Julia Garner. It premiered at the Sundance Festival in 2011, where it made quite an impression, and Durkin won the Directing Award. Olsen’s performance was also highly acclaimed, and she was included in many ballots during the award season. Although it had a limited theatrical release, the film managed to break the $5 million barrier at the box office. This made it a profitable project, considering its modest budget of $600,000.
Martha Marcy May Marlene follows Martha, a young woman who has escaped from a cult she has been living with for years. She contacts her sister, Lucy, who agrees to take her in and help her through the deprogramming process. However, Martha’s past as Marcy May is far too difficult to dismiss. She has too many secrets, and her former partners will not let go easily. Per the Rotten Tomatoes synopsis of the film:
After several years of living with a cult, Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) finally escapes and calls her estranged sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson), for help. Martha finds herself at the quiet Connecticut home Lucy shares with her new husband, Ted (Hugh Dancy), but the memories of what she experienced in the cult make peace hard to find. As flashbacks continue to torment her, Martha fails to shake a terrible sense of dread, especially in regard to the cult’s manipulative leader (John Hawkes).
'Martha Marcy May Marlene' Is One of the Best Films About Cults Ever Made
Not only was Martha Marcy May Marlene a solid debut for Elizabeth Olsen, who would then go on to make much bigger pictures, but the film holds up very well more than ten years after its release. Durkin, known for movies like The Nest and The Iron Claw, made his directorial debut in the 2011 film, and seldom can a filmmaker be as proud as he must be of Martha Marcy May Marlene. Today, it sits at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and holds a Certified Fresh label.
It is a subtle depiction of a culture that’s very much alive today. Unfortunately, after all sorts of crimes and tragedies involving cults, there are still those who find satisfaction in holding dominion over others, using faith as a tool for manipulating emotionally fragile victims. Olsen’s debut is a great representation of the aftermath, a difficult process in which those who have escaped the cults still feel spiritually linked to their leader.
In Martha Marcy May Marlene, Hawkes’ character, Patrick, represents the charismatic and manipulating spirit of every religious leader you can think of. But Durkin’s script keeps Patrick in the dark as a mystical creature. It makes the experience much more interesting because you can only see Martha’s broken spirit. It also makes the story significantly more frightening.
Source: Warner Bros. Discovery
