Elizabeth Olsen’s First Movie Is Still Her Best

In 2011, Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The haunting film about a young woman going through the effects of escaping a cult garnered the attention it deserved, with Durkin winning a directing award at the festival. Despite being released over a decade ago, the film has maintained a legacy in the public eye. In a review for Little White Lies, Jason Wood describes how it “flickers powerfully in the memory.” The movie holds an impressive score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, thanks, in no small part, to Elizabeth Olsen’s showstopping central performance.

Elizabeth Olsen‘s role in the film was her feature debut and she made every head turn. Martha Marcy May Marlene isn’t the standard film about cults, their inherent danger in modern society, and their twisted beliefs. The key difference is the movie’s approach to trauma, something which Olsen portrays with care and intimacy.

An obscure film that was popular in the indie circle, Martha Marcy May Marlene is mostly remembered for being the feature debut of a Hollywood actress who since then moved on to bigger, franchise-based films. However, it’s quite possible that Martha Marcy May Marlene is her best performance to date. It’s authentic, honest, and layered. While the film is a great character study that runs on silence and contemplation, it still speaks volumes.

Elizabeth Olsen’s Recent Movies

Elizabeth Olsen’s Surprising Debut

In Martha Marcy Mae Marlene, Olsen plays Martha, a young woman who has escaped from the cult that had her in their grasp. To them, she was Marcy May, because the leader, Patrick (John Hawkes), said so. From the beginning, his intention was for her to stop being herself, and start being who he wanted her to be. Martha escapes and calls her sister (Sarah Paulson), and asks her to pick her up.

Related: Best Underrated Movies About Cults

What follows is Martha’s re-insertion to normality. But this is almost impossible. She doesn’t tell Lucy or her husband where she’s been, but her trauma is too heavy a burden. Through flashbacks, we learn how things were at the cult, which helps the audience to understand the woman she has become. The movie doesn’t ask its audience to agree with Martha’s actions, just to witness and understand her trauma.

Olsen’s debut is a notable career jumpstart. Nowadays, most people know her for playing Wanda Maximoff in the MCU. As great as she is in the franchise, Martha Marcy May Marlene allowed Olsen to embody a quieter, more dramatic performance, which she did with ease. For those who know her for her action-based roles, it may be a surprise to learn that this is where her career began.

Trauma is Visible in Martha Marcy May Marlene

In the film’s third act we see the turning point for Martha where she realizes who she has become as a result of her time in the cult. This moment is a perfect example of what Olsen does so well in the role. She conveys a huge emotional shift from being a devoted follower of the cult to understanding her fault in the situation.

Durkin never capitalizes on the “hysterical woman” trope that films of this kind often use, and that’s because he acknowledges Martha’s trauma from the get go. The subdued script is light on its exposition, allowing Olsen’s performance to speak for itself. By prioritizing showing rather than telling, the movie conveys an emotional understanding of Martha’s experiences, instead of simply having her tell her story in words.

Why Martha Marcy May Marlene Is Elizabeth Olsen’s Best Film

Olsen’s performance is based on a naturalistic approach. To begin with, Martha’s behavior can be alarming and confusing without the context of what she had just been through. Since Durkin just puts the camera in front of the events that unfold, these moments aren’t portraying the character as in the wrong, or judging her, she is just existing truthfully.

Related: 10 Facts About Elizabeth Olsen You Probably Didn’t Know

The film wouldn’t have been the same without Olsen’s absolute dedication to the role. Since then, Olsen has moved on to the spotlight of one of the most successful franchises in cinema history. With Martha Marcy May Marlene, Durkin and Olsen accomplished an exceptional portrait of the aftermath of a horrendous experience. Through a transparent execution of her character, Olsen takes Durkin’s idea and filters it through the mysterious attitude of a victim who silently screams for help.

When people are vulnerable enough, they are receptive to extreme ideas and behavior, and this movie shows just that. As observers, we tend to believe conflicts are solved when the antagonist is gone, and someone is saved. But more often than not, conflict and trauma lingers in the mind. This is why Martha Marcy May Marlene is Elizabeth Olsen’s best movie, because her controlled and precise performance is a key component of what makes this movie a remarkable and empathetic exploration of extreme trauma.

Rent or buy Martha Marcy May Marlene on Prime Video.

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Release Date

June 10, 2011

Director

Sean Durkin

Cast

Elizabeth Olsen, Christopher Abbott, Brady Corbet, Hugh Dancy, Maria Dizzia, Julia Garner

Rating

R

Runtime

120

Main Genre

Drama