86% Martha Marcy May Marlene

All Critics (102) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (87) | Rotten (14)

Shot in long, quiet takes of bucolic idylls, "Martha Marcy May Marlene" sneaks up on viewers with a barely perceptible sense of oncoming dread.

Two long hours of murky photography and slow-motion storytelling, in which the audience is always 10 scenes ahead of the action.

The film has its gimmicky aspects but Olsen is haunting: She grounds the slim premise and makes it worthwhile.

Olsen inhabits Martha's broken world completely. And at the movie's end - a jarring, boldly ambiguous end - we're in her head, too, not sure what is real, and what is not.

Durkin immerses the viewer in a fluid state of psychological dissolution, keeping us very close to one woman's experience in a cult by any other name.

Sophomoric psychology and stereotypical social models cemented by wooden acting.

'Martha' should earn new Olsen sister a cult following.

A stealth horror film that delves deeper into Martha's inner troubles than many filmgoers might wish to go.

Durkin lures us into the world of the cult slowly, just as Martha was, and the additive effect of gradually introducing its more extreme aspects is nearly imperceptible, yet as constricting as a slowly tightening vice.

Olsen is so good as a person coping with the aftermath of physical and psychological abuse that the movie has made her an 'overnight sensation'.

A hushed, mesmerizing story.

...nothing more than a showcase for several stirring performances...

Please give the film editor, Zachary Stuart-Pontier, an Oscar right now. With brilliant editing, great performances and great direction, this film will stick with you.

A subtle, sporadically powerful portrait of a young woman in turmoil. But unfortunately its fractured, elliptical form--while defensible from a stylistic perspective--ultimately undermines its effectiveness as drama.

Durkin's pacing is methodical, giving a lulling sensation that offsets Martha's anguish.

This is Eiizabeth Olsen's picture all the way; she is such the captivating centerpiece that everyone else should feel lucky to be in her orbit.

The term psychological thriller has never been so aptly applied as it is here.

Lizzie turns in a stunning performance in her first feature length film, one that bodes extremely well for this 22-year-old California-born actress.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/martha_marcy_may_marlene/

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