Martha Marcy May Marlene
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Trumpian Images
“Baby, there’s no storm outside.” —from Take Shelter In his now classic book From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film, Siegfried Kracauer looked for cinematic hints, clues and warnings about the rise of Naziism and Hitler in pre-War Germany. Published by Princeton University Press in 1947 — just two years after the end of the war — his book was among the first to interrogate the deep architecture of film as a psychological state, one that does not directly mirror but rather reflects in a distorted way the “secret history” of mass psychology that, in his […]
by Nicholas Rombes on Jan 18, 2017 -
The Truth in Ambiguity
Editor’s Note: This essay on ambiguous film endings contains spoilers for the film Oslo, August 31. Joachim Trier’s latest feature, the formally inventive and genuinely moving Oslo, August 31, really had me in its grip by the end. The film, which is about one day in the life of a recovering heroin addict, finishes with the protagonist returning to his childhood home, which is empty. Earlier in the film, we’ve seen him buy a whole bunch of heroin, and a relapse – or worse – may be imminent. In the opening of the film, the addict, Anders, attempts to kill […]
by Zachary Wigon on Dec 5, 2012 -
My 10 Favorite Movie Moments of 2011
As 2011 comes to a close it’s time to look back on the year in movies. It’s always tough for me to come up with a yearly best movie list because I never feel I’ve seen everything by Jan. 1. By this time of year I’m still trying to finish watching the award contenders (still on my list: Hugo, War Horse, Moneyball, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, The Help). So here are 10 movie moments from 2011 (in no particular order) that have stayed with me. “I Want You To Help Me Find A Killer of Women” I know you’re probably […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Dec 31, 2011 -
THE OCCUPY ZEITGEIST IN 2011 CINEMA
1. A sense of outsideness. Buildings turned inside out on 9-11, and people outside in the streets of Manhattan. The mind, outside of itself with disbelief. The brutal and temporary restoration of the natural world in the middle of one of the world’s largest cities. Located a block from the World Trade Center, Zuccotti Park, terribly damaged on 9-11 and slowly restored, would become the locus of the Occupy Movement. Encampments. Tents. The incongruous sight of camping gear in urban spaces and beneath the shadows of skyscrapers, in a forest of steel and concrete and glass. It is not films […]
by Nicholas Rombes on Dec 19, 2011 -
TRUST ISSUES: SEAN DURKIN & ELIZABETH OLSEN TALK “MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE”
Originally published in our Fall 2011 issue, I sat down with Sean Durkin and Elizabeth Olsen to look back on the process of making one of the most talked about indies of the year. Martha Marcy May Marlene is nominated for Best Ensemble Performance and Breakthrough Director. Here Durkin and Olsen talk about the first time they met: Elizabeth, how did you hear about the project?Olsen: I auditioned right before filming Peace, Love and Misunderstanding. We had Mondays and Tuesdays off [for that film] so I was able to come down to the city to audition. Durkin: [Laughs] “I’ll just […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Nov 14, 2011 -
DAVID LOWERY ON STORY STRUCTURE IN “MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE” & “SLEEPING BEAUTY”
Filmmaker David Lowery (Pioneer, St. Nick) has an interesting piece on his blog today comparing the storytelling engines in Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene and Julia Leigh’s Sleeping Beauty. Martha, he argues, deliberately builds tension by withholding key information, while Sleeping Beauty lays everything on the table up front in an attempt to diffuse tension and focus deeper on story, theme, and character. In the article, Lowery also defends Martha against Richard Brody’s recent New Yorker blog post (a response in itself to Anthony Lane’s review of the film) in which Brody argued that the film’s flashback-heavy narrative […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Nov 7, 2011 -
“MARTHA, MARCY…” PRODUCTION CO., BORDERLINE FILMS, SIGNS FIRST-LOOK DEAL WITH FOX SEARCHLIGHT
Just hitting the wires is the word that Borderline Films, the team of Antonio Campos, Josh Mond and Sean Durkin, have signed a first-look deal with Fox Searchlight. Searchlight is currently distributing Durkin’s Boderline pic, Martha Marcy May Marlene. Both Campos and Durkin are Filmmaker Magazine “25 New Faces” selections, and in the current print issue Mond talks about how the company sustains itself in the independent filmmaking business. They’re a talented team and I’m glad to hear their future projects have a first-look home. The press release follows: LOS ANGELES, CA, November 3, 2011 – Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 3, 2011 -
Martha Marcy May Marlene — A Hammer to Nail Review
(Martha Marcy May Marlene earned Sean Durkin a Best Director award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where it was picked up for distribution by Fox Searchlight. It opened theatrically on Friday, October 21, 2011. Visit the film’s official website to learn more. EDITOR’S NOTE: HTN co-founder Ted Hope is an executive producer on the film.) Looking at Elizabeth Olsen, you know exactly who she’s related to. It’s a trait that lends the actress both familiarity and strangeness—as though you know her but you don’t. It also makes her perfect for the title role in Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May […]
by Michael Nordine on Oct 27, 2011 -
DISCOVERING JACKSON C. FRANK IN “MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE”
If you went to see Sean Durkin‘s haunting debut Martha Marcy May Marlene over the weekend you’re probably still digesting Durkin’s dark story, the exhausting performance by Elizabeth Olsen and the beautiful cinematography from the film’s DP Jody Lee Lipes. But tucked away in all this is a soothing song delivered by John Hawkes titled “Marcy’s Song.” Playing Patrick, the manipulative leader of the “community,” he wins over Martha with an acoustic guitar and a song from a little-known ’60s folk singer. Jackson C. Frank only released one album in his career, but his life is ripe for a biopic […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Oct 24, 2011 -
FALL ’11 ISSUE ONLINE
Select stories from our Fall issue are now available. You can now read online our interviews with Melancholia‘s Lars von Trier (before announcing he would no longer give interviews), Sean Durkin and Elizabeth Olsen chat about Martha Marcy May Marlene, we get biblical about The Catechism Cataclysm with thoughts from the Reverend Megan Hollaway and we look at what film schools need to achieve to be relevant in the future. Plus, the Culture Hacker and Industry Beat columns. The issue hits stands next week, but you can read it now on your desktop by subscribing to our digital issue. Learn […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Oct 24, 2011
