tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post8370522015084917180..comments2024-01-30T04:32:47.585-05:00Comments on The Cooler: Voices Down the Corridor: Martha Marcy May MarleneJason Bellamyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-82565568764508336102011-11-14T20:00:04.814-05:002011-11-14T20:00:04.814-05:00I never got a sense the filmmaker was interested i...<em>I never got a sense the filmmaker was interested in exploring cults rather than using the idea of cults as a boogeyman in what amounts to a high-toned horror film, complete with a stabbing.<br /><br />I think the director was just not interested in their psychology, which, for a movie about cult, I think is a really glaring flaw.</em><br /><br />Steven: See, I think that first part is exactly what this film is. And seen from that angle, I think it's successful (if not overwhelming).<br /><br />Because I think this is a "high-toned horror film" (or maybe Gothic thriller might be a better description), it didn't bother me in the least that Durkin didn't show interest in cults themselves.<br /><br />All I needed to believe was that people to into cults in the first place -- and they do, for reasons that I'll never fully be able to understand, although I suggest some base reasons in my review. From there, I felt it was about the effect of trauma, rather than about the effect of cults themselves.<br /><br />I'd gladly argue with anyone who says this teaches us something about cults. I don't see that. But trauma? Yeah, there's something there.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-89400068161926971532011-11-14T19:55:46.869-05:002011-11-14T19:55:46.869-05:00Sam: I'm fairly split on this film, too. How I...Sam: I'm fairly split on this film, too. How I feel about it depends on the conversation about what the film is doing. More on that coming up ...Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-77973544792778845922011-11-13T18:59:26.723-05:002011-11-13T18:59:26.723-05:00I had a much different reaction to the film, which...I had a much different reaction to the film, which I found rather baffling in both its story (which you and others mentioned already) and its direction. At a certain point, I needed more than atmosphere for this to work. <br /><br />I never got a sense of why Martha or others needed the cult in their lives. Cutting back and forth between the present and past did not seem to be motivated by anything beyond a stylistic device to reveal information piecemeal rather than enforce a theme of any kind. I never got a sense the filmmaker was interested in exploring cults rather than using the idea of cults as a boogeyman in what amounts to a high-toned horror film, complete with a stabbing. <br /><br />I think the director was just not interested in their psychology, which, for a movie about cult, I think is a really glaring flaw. That may be why the moments you mentioned where characters' words or actions made little sense tended to bother me a lot more.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05571206086671634525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-85679111825467130122011-11-13T11:20:38.813-05:002011-11-13T11:20:38.813-05:00"But, again, Durkin is seeking atmosphere, no..."But, again, Durkin is seeking atmosphere, not realism. And while Martha Marcy May Marlene is heavy-handed in its application of trauma, it’s undeniably effective at depicting the suffocating pressure of trauma’s unrelenting grip."<br /><br />Indeed Jason. I did feel myself that the former quality was too difficult to get over, but the film as you point out has some searing power, atmospherically and symbolically. I guess overall I am split, but know well the film received excellent notices.<br /><br />As for LIKE CRAZY, I was crazy for it, and count it among the best films of the year, along with THE MILL AND THE CROSS, which you also reviewed on these pages.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-87669016932412540512011-11-13T10:41:03.432-05:002011-11-13T10:41:03.432-05:00Jake: Thanks. It's certainly an impressive deb...Jake: Thanks. It's certainly an impressive debut. And as an atmosphere piece and/or an examination of trauma's unrelenting control over one's psyche, it's a strong film, despite some problems.<br /><br />I need to go back and find your review.<br /><br />I haven't gotten to <em>Like Crazy</em>, but I'll see if I can work that in over the coming week.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-39677842567607136262011-11-11T16:00:31.344-05:002011-11-11T16:00:31.344-05:00Jason, wonderful point about atmosphere vs. realis...Jason, wonderful point about atmosphere vs. realism. I admit I was so caught up in the atmosphere - being very impressed with the chops of the director with his feature debut - that I let myself kind of overlook the logic of a lot of the story. <br /><br />I laughed out loud as you pointed out the obviousness of Martha freaking out when a man is chasing her up the stairs in the middle of the night. <br /><br />Parts of it did frustrate me, though, along the lines of realism: why did the blonde guy just let her go in the cafe so easily, it was obvious she was trying to leave? Would she REALLY have thought it was okay to swim nude in broad daylight or climb into bed with her fornicating sister, after only 2 years away from the real world, or - as you suggest - did those just make for really awkward, atmospheric scenes? <br /><br />Anyhow, I did enjoy it very much, both the movie and your review. <br /><br />You should see/review "Like Crazy," I'm curious to hear what you have to say about it.jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377590117374193997noreply@blogger.com