MovieChat Forums > Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) Discussion > Just watched...here's my take on the fil...

Just watched...here's my take on the film

posted 9 years ago by npiazza91
6 replies | jump to latest

First of all, I love psychological films. I'm a crisis counselor, so right when I heard about this film the other day, I knew I had to see it.

The film was beautifully shot. The entire crew did an amazing job. The tension throughout was great and the periods of silence worked very well.

However, I sort of feel...indifferent about the ending. I'm not sure exactly how to feel about it. It felt like it ended right at the climax, but that seems to be what they were going for. I really liked the way that you weren't sure if the cult was following her or not, but I ultimately feel it was a bit weak to base the entire film around that. I think that if the film was 20 minutes longer and actually showed her come to terms with it and talk about it, the film would have been better. I kept waiting for a "it was horrible, they raped me, etc..." type scene but it never came. I felt there was no pay off. I keep thinking "what's the point? I come to know these characters and...that's it."

On to the good things. The depiction of a woman after going through a traumatic event such as this was amazingly accurate. Like I said, the film was beautifully shot and Olsen did a fantastic job here.

I get that they were trying to put you in the shoes of Martha, and it worked, but I would have preferred a less open ending than the one that was given. They still could have created the same tension and atmosphere and closed the ending better. I still really enjoyed it, though, but because of the abrupt ending, I can't really recommend this. Endings make the film in my opinion, and the pay off here was underwhelming.

[–] GuyOnTheLeft 9 years ago

Different strokes, clearly! This is how I reviewed the film on Twitter:

"Martha Marcy May Marlene": Way to stick the landing! The incredibly intense and harrowing ending transformed a good movie into a great one.

But then, I didn't really find the ending "open". I felt certain we were seeing the last moments of these people's lives.

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My top 250: http://www.flickchart.com/Charts.aspx?user=SlackerInc&perpage=250

[–] jtny75 9 years ago

I feel the ending was open..and while I agree that it would have been great to see her tell her sister what happened, they probably couldn't have pulled off the ending that way

[–] FirstBlood1982 8 years ago

I think that the ending was deliberately designed to make that uncertain.

+++by His wounds we are healed. - Isaiah 53:5+++

[–] jenx42 8 years ago

I understand what you're saying. I tend to appreciate resolution too. Even if it's small.

The problem is that I think she was too conflicted. She couldn't open up because she didn't know how to feel.

I don't think she felt that her experience was horrible or believed that she was raped even though she clearly was. I think she left because she couldn't "get over" the murder but was still in a brainwashed state. As she told the brother-in-law, he wasn't living the right way. She must have still believed the cult was living a better way.

[–] BlueeRain 8 years ago

I can't really recommend this. Endings make the film in my opinion, and the pay off here was underwhelming.

I agree. I would rather an ending with closure and then go home and think of how I would've ended it. Rather then being forced to imagine how it ended. Underwhelming sums it up perfectly.

[–] Don_Cheech 8 years ago

Yea. It's weird... I really liked the whole film- and then it just ended when things were getting good. I wanted the sister to be confronted by the cult- perhaps the sisters husband is able to defend them? Right when the movie ended - I said out loud "well that was a *beep* ending"