The Movie Diorama I really didn't know too much going into this, a rather unknown film that is infrequently discussed. To my surprise, I found this to be a resonating and haunting experience that boasted great cinematography and acting. A young girl named Martha escapes an abusive cult and returns to her family. As a result of a brainwashed mind, she suffers from delusions and paranoia to which she must attempt to restore her mentality before she loses it entirely. When the word "cult" is sprung into a description, you automatically think witches or vampires where they commence blood rituals and sacrificing lambs. In actual fact, cults are more common than you might think. In this story, the cult manipulated women into thinking they are vital aspects to a "family" but are deceived into being sexually abused. The screenplay downplays the ideologies of this goal, not for political aspirations, but to create an experiential visceral depiction of abuse. Some of the scenes are not pleasant to watch, I would go as far as saying the whole narrative makes you feel uneasy. The spiky relationship between Martha and Lucy was just as edgy as the cult flashbacks. The chronological shifts embed the two together, however the film isn't intelligent enough to utilise this method and deliver a good payoff. It seemed forced. Elizabeth Olsen's lead debut was a poignant one, she was mesmerising and captured the fragility of Martha beautifully. Sarah Paulson also caught my interest, another understated performance from her. The cinematography was hypnotising and the confident one take scenes felt bold and really enhanced the experience. Any emotional gauge or connection just didn't exist unfortunately, I wanted to empathise with the characters but a cold barrier was preventing me from doing so. The ending, as ambiguous as it was, again felt rather cold and unfinished. A captivating story, just not an emotionally powerful one.

Anthony El-megerhi I expected the movie to be great since one of the producers is Antonio Campos he's known for his unique confusing films he make ,not to forget to mention the master of this movie Sean Durkin , what an outstanding ,catching story ! this man must win an Oscar just saying . this movie as my title says keep you wondering about the missing pieces of the story it doesn't make the film boring at all it makes it mystery there's philosophical arguments that will make you think , i like the eccentric character rolled by Elizabeth Olsen it has a lot of drama and weird actions i don't think any other actor can do the same job she did she really fir the role . if you're into mystery/drama types of movies go watch this now .

Popcorn Addict This is a tough film to watch because it is so incredibly static, and leaves the viewer with many unanswered questions. Although Elizabeth Olsen made a great performance I wish that they used more character development for her. That was the point though...to leave her character blurry, indecipherable, and undefined like the very barcode in the film poster. I feel like there was also a parallel between Martha's carnal, unconstrained nudity and her "stripped" soul. She is reduced to nothing but a body, a shell. I thought that it was strange to see a film involving a cult that had nothing to do with religion. Even though this was an extremely slow film in which not much truly happens, it seems like so much more when you analyze things in hindsight.

doom-ca Loved the movie, hated the ending. Martha Marcy May Marlene, even the title was enough to draw my interest. At first I thought - is this going to be about several women on the compound? But Director and writer Sean Durkin, has put a lot of thought into both the story and the direction of the film capturing the strangeness of a cult environment and the brainwashing that takes place while a person is subjected to the environment. Like the title, it's complicated the interwoven script moves through the movie as well as the cinematography and transitions it helps the audience understand Martha, played by Elizabeth Olsen. It's involved, I found myself really worried about Martha as a character, worried she would be abducted, possibly hurt her sister or hurt herself. This move does fall down flat on it's face at the conclusion however, not because it is indefinite but because after viewing all the violence and control exhibited by the leaders of the cult we are left with only one conclusion Patrick, the cult leader, will kill Martha. Why create an indefinite ending when the majority of the evidence suggests otherwise. Or as a director and writer,much more evidence would need to be offered that Martha is just paranoid. Loved the movie, hated the ending, great acting, writing, directing. Four out of five popcorn balls!