Dividing four into one can be a difficult task. Dividing one into four is creates a problem for the one. Whichever way the division goes creates problems, and that's the key to "Martha Marcy May Marlene," which opens today. Elizabeth Olsen, sister to the more famous twins, is extremely effective in the title role of Sean Durkin's first feature, a strong debut. He also wrote the screenplay.
Organizing the names is simple. Martha is, we think, the young woman's name. It's the name her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) uses when she shows up at the lakeside home she and her husband have rented. Marcy May is the name that Patrick (a terrific John Hawkes) gives her after she joins his cult and offers up her body. Marlene is a name that all the women in the cult use when they answer a phone and are asked their name.
Hawkes, so fearsome and powerful in "Winter's Bone," creates fear and terror in the women who follow him, yielding to his every whim.
But when Martha escapes and moves into the cottage with her sister and brother-in-law, Ted (Hugh Dancy), she still carries the marks that Patrick left. She almost-casually enters the bedroom where Lucy and Ted are making love, then curls up next to them on the bed almost as if she's anticipating an invitation to join them.
Durkin is trying to create a picture of a person (Martha) who has no center. She had friends in the cult, even though she was not always happy there. A scene where she prepares an acolyte for her sexual introduction to Patrick is a little off-putting, and she cannot always relate to the calm domesticity of Lucy and Ted. Durkin helps the feeling of disorientation by often shooting Olsen away from the center of the frame. At the same time, she does not feel she fits in the "normal" life as her sister and brother-in-law do
It's an ambitious project for a young director. Durkin succeeds on many levels, falls short on a few, but still has created an interesting, attention-holding movie. I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.
Martha Marcy May Marlene opens today at several theaters
— Joe