Martha Marcy May Marlene [2011]
This indie psychological thriller is quite long and frustratingly vague (even though that’s kinda the whole point) but it deserves a watch just to witness the rise of an outstanding talent. Elizabeth Olsen (little sister to the less pretty and significantly less gifted Mary-Kate and Ashley) is quite a great find and she’s stunningly good in her breakthrough role as Martha (a.k.a. “Marcy May”). She should be a contender for the ‘Best Actress’ Oscar. She probably won’t be, though, as Martha Marcy May Marlene is just too weird a movie to truly resonate with the conservative Academy. Apart from Olsen, it’s John Hawkes who’s been getting praise for his performance, but Sarah Paulson and Hugh Dancy as Martha’s sister and brother-in-law, respectively, provide the best support to the young actress.
I agree with everything you said. Olsen is such a talent.
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I have been on the fence on putting this on my list to see and review soon. I like indie movies and kind of weird and some (not all) unusual ones like “We Need to Talk About Kevin” (review pending on that one). Would you recommend this to anyone?
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I’d recommend it based on Elizabeth Olsen’s performance alone. She is stunning even if the film is too vague.
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Thanks, good to know. I will see, but not right away. I do like to watch a good performance.
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