Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) has just fled a cult after two years, and she’s finding it hard to adjust to her old, normal life. Her sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson), and Lucy’s husband, Ted (Hugh Dancy), do their best to help her readjust by letting her live with them in their remote cabin, but Martha’s fragile mental state begins to deteriorate as she remembers all the reasons why she left.
The cult’s charismatic leader, Patrick (John Hawkes), is never far from her thoughts, and she is still in contact with some of its members. Does Martha have the strength to fully break away from her traumatic past? Even if she does, will Patrick and the rest of the cult members let her?
Martha Marcy May Marlene is a different kind of thriller — while the threat is very real, it’s also unnerving and ambiguous. Olsen is terrific as a young woman who knows her past life with the cult isn’t good for her, but still longs for the protection and sense of identity it gave her. The movie’s tension stems from Martha’s mental state — is she strong enough to stand on her own or does she place herself in situations that will make it easier for her to go back to the cult that once tried to destroy her? Martha Marcy May Marlene is worth watching to find out the answer.
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