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In Martha Marcy May Marlene, writer/director Sean Durkin adeptly doles out the narrative in two sets of sequences. A young woman, Martha (Elizabeth Olsen), is on the run from a group of other young people. She finally finds refuge at the lake house of her estranged older sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson), and brother-in-law, Ted (Hugh Dancy ) — her only remaining family. As Martha struggles to return to a more normal life, memories of her two years living as Marcy May in the cult led by charismatic Patrick (John Hawkes) surface and cause her to feel more alienated than ever.

This is Durkin's first feature film, but there are few beginners' mistakes. Even in the most mundane tasks, Durkin infuses Martha Marcy May Marlene with a beauty underscored by menace. When cult members plant crops in rows on the farm, a thunderstorm hovers overhead. Lucy offers Martha a dress to wear, but there's something strange in the way Martha tries it on. Nothing in the film comes easy or is as innocent as it seems. The low-key murmurings and slowly built-up tension are disquieting and engaging.

Martha's a constant source of confusion to Lucy and Ted, who have been told nothing about her whereabouts for the previous two years. Their best guess is that she was with an abusive boyfriend. So her harsh words to Ted about Lucy's trying to get pregnant and the many violations of cultural norms — climbing into the bed with them while they're having sex for instance — increase the tension. All at once, she's a lonely girl searching for family and also a fierce loner rebelling at convention.

In addition, life on the farm, which in the beginning seems more “commune” than “cult,” has its sweet moments in the beginning. There's an inviting simplicity in its rejection of consumerism and material possession. For the first time, and one of the rare times in the entire film, orphan Martha feels welcome and at home. She blushes, pleased, when Patrick writes and performs a song for her, whom he renames Marcy May. His seduction and control of her happens gradually, and is revealed in the film even more slowly, and the true horror of the situation is revealed in bits and pieces.

It's when Durkin's script calls for a brutal act on an outsider to the cult that the movie reaches the point of hyperbole. The over-the-top crime is overkill. The fear inflicted by Patrick should have remained internal and unspoken. As a push to get Martha to finally leave, it's unnecessary: she had enough reason already.

Much more interesting is the dynamic between the sisters. As Lucy, Paulson provides the needed counterpoint to Patrick. She displays similar behavior modification techniques, except hers are backed by popular custom. The type of lack of self-consciousness Martha exhibits was more explicitly showcased in 2009's dark comedy Dogtooth, in which a Greek father purposely shielded his grown children from convention. Here, however, it's more believable, and, as such, more powerful.

As Martha/Marcy May, Elizabeth Olsenprovides a much-needed emotional focal point for the film. As the two storylines reveal more about the character and her fractured identity, Olsen intensifies her performance. She broods with a fierce artistry but also exudes contentment with the smallest of gestures. Olsen easily vacillates between being vulnerable and lashing out.

Martha's story depends on her ability to submit and then rebel. She rejects Patrick's violent ways but also takes issue with her sister and brother-in-law's trappings of prosperity. Their attempts at deprogramming fall on deaf ears and Martha prefers to retain many of the habits she developed at the cult. As the film goes back and forth from one scenario to the other, there's a dawning realization that Martha/Marcy May doesn't belong in either place, but neither is willing to let her go.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Christopher Abbott, Brady Corbet, Hugh Dancy, Maria Dizzia
Directed by: Sean Durkin
Genres: Drama
Running Time: 1 hr. 50 min.
Release Date: October 21st, 2011 (limited)
MPAA Rating: R for disturbing violent and sexual content, nudity and language. Distributors: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Produced by: Antonio Campos (II), Josh Mond, Chris Maybach