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December 4, 2011 -- This creepy psychological thriller centers on Martha (played by Elizabeth Olsen of “Silent House” and younger sister of the famed Olsen Twins). Martha has physically escaped from a dangerous cult in the Catskill Mountains of New York State, but is still mentally trapped by that cult, which is trying to get her back by any means necessary.
At first, Martha seems to have her act together as she escapes from the cult and is taken in by her older sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson of “The Spirit”) and Lucy's husband, Ted (Hugh Dancy of “The Jane Austen Book Club”). At first, she seems to be adapting to her new life, but gradually begins to exhibit increasingly strange, sometimes scary behavior. The emotional damage done to her at the rural cult seems to take an ever increasing toll on her. There are increasing hints that the cult members want her back. The rented summer house where Martha, Lucy and Ted are staying is in a rural area. It seems too vulnerable. Martha knows of the danger, but can't convince Lucy and Ted to get out.
There are numerous flashbacks to Martha's time spent at the rural farm which is where the cult members all live. The men and women are kept separate at night and at mealtimes. Their names are taken away and replaced by new names. Sexual access is controlled by the cult leader, Patrick (John Hawkes of “Winter's Bone”). Patrick is charming and seductive, but there is a dark side he keeps hidden from new recruits like Martha (whom he calls Marcy May, and sometimes Marlene). When Martha sees the full extent of this dark side, she flees from the cult. But by then, it may be too late. She has seen too much and may be a danger to the cult's existence.
The underpinnings of Martha's reasons for joining the cult are hinted at, but not really explored in the film. The idea is that Martha's upbringing left her with a need for family relationships that were at least partially fulfilled by the cult, according to the film's production notes. That explains some of Martha's behavior. However, the film doesn't really explain this. It also does a poor job of explaining why Martha keeps secrets which could proved deadly to herself and her family. Martha's cult-induced paranoia is supposed to be the reason for her reluctance to warn her sister, according to the production notes. Again, the film comes up short in handling this explanation.
The acting in the film is very good, led by Hawkes, Olsen, Paulson, Dancy and Brady Corbett, who plays the scary cult member Watts, second in command to Patrick. This film has both the strengths and weaknesses of the psychological thriller genre. Much of what happens in the film is mental. Unless the film tries to depict thoughts visually, which this film avoids doing, thoughts are something that can only be hinted at in various ways. Stories about mental states don't lend themselves easily to film. This genre is better suited to the written form, where thoughts can be expressed as words. That weakness is apparent in this film. The strength of the genre is that it serves as a showcase for actors, and that is also apparent in this film. It is a bit of a mixed bag, but it does deliver a heavy dose of creepiness. This film rates a B.
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