Even going as far as renaming Martha "Marcy May", branding her in his own way as you're sure he's done to the other girls in his "flock". His quiet menace, vehemence and nihilism seems to be cat nip to his conquered concubines. Hawks can play this type of weaselly, Lothario in his sleep. He's basically a cool, calm, collected version of Charlie Manson-even uttering a few Manson-inspired lines. The story begins in what appears to be a cult-like commune (is there any other kind in Film-land?) in the Catskills run with an iron fist by Patrick (John Hawks). (And much more realistic and believable than a certain related, crazed ballerina portrayal, but one could argue that one was SUPPOSED to be over-the-top.) Her torment is palpable from the moment she opens her mouth. She captures the sublimely tortured soul of Mary in a nuanced, organic way that's award-worthy. Olsen straddles the thin line between coherence & madness in a way that's almost endearing and frightening-but ultimately just tragic while side-stepping the mines of caricature and melodrama. It's a marvelous, virtuoso performance, haunting and understated, natural yet very calculated. (Durkin won best director at Sundance last January for this, his first feature.) Youngest Olsen sister, Elizabeth plays Martha, (who's ripe to play an early '20's version of Vera Farmiga, or Maggie Gyllenhaal's little sis'-you're welcome Hollywood!).
Sean Durkin wrote and directed the film with a meditative tone and in a spartan, concise manner that thankfully doesn't suffer from the time-shifting storyline thanks to mostly seamless editing.
In someways this year's "Winter's Bone", (sharing John Hawks) but with its character study involving sanity slowly, sadly slipping away. It's not quite like any American indie films of recent memory. Or Hot Hippie Cult Love Gone (Very) Bad The schizophrenic, abstract story unfolds almost languidly at a very deliberate pace evoking Bergman with its Euro overtones, serene cinematography and bucolic backgrounds.
0 kommentar(er)
