From 3 Feb
Martha is a rootless young woman who responds to being part of an extended family when she is introduced into life within a pastoral cult. Love, friendship and family fill the void as she is groomed by the messianic cult leader (John Hawkes). All is not as it seems, though, and when she eventually flees to her estranged sister, Martha is unable and unwilling to reveal the truth about her two year absence. In spite of the best efforts of her fragmented family it is difficult for Martha to make the shift between the two existences and the film skilfully blurs the lines between past and present as Martha’s tenuous grip on reality unravels. As much a thriller as a psychological exploration, the paranoia builds in the viewer as well as Martha – leading to a startling conclusion.
This is a striking debut from writer/director Sean Durkin (who won Best Director at Sundance), exploring the appeal of cult life – and the difficulties of returning to a mundane reality after such an all-encompassing experience. Deceptively intense, this has been a hit on the festival circuit, and with the striking performance from younger Olsen twin, Elizabeth, it lingers long after lights up.
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