(MA) Directed by Sean Durkin
The film opens with a young woman (Elizabeth Olsen, sister of Ashley and Mary Kate) running off into the woods in the early hours of the morning. Although her name is Martha, a man calls her Macy May as he shouts to her to come back to the house. She phones her older sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) who collects her and the flashbacks fill in the last two years of Martha’s life on a commune run by the seductive Patrick (Charles Manson look-alike John Hawkes).
In contrast to the room she has at her wealthy sister’s holiday house on the lake, Martha has been sharing one room with a group of women and following strict rules. Struggling to find out what is ‘normal’ Martha’s flashbacks become more disturbing. Even though much of life at the commune is only hinted at, enough is shown to create a strong sense of foreboding.
Lezly Herbert
