Martha Marcy May Marlene
For all of its narrative flaws – not to mention its annoying title – there’s a lot to like about this assured debut feature from writer-director Sean Durkin. Not least is Elizabeth Olsen’s incredible central performance as a young woman who flees life in an abusive cult to take refuge with her sister.
Fox’s Blu-ray serves up a detailed yet low-contrast AVC 2.40:1 1080p transfer that gives the film a deliberately dream-like atmosphere, aided brilliantly by the moody DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. Slightly disappointing extras consist of a selection of five very short behind-the-scenes featurettes (Spotlight on Elizabeth Olsen, The Story, The Making of Martha Marcy May Marlene, A Conversation with the Filmmakers and The Psyche of a Cult), a music video and a (rather good) 14min short film entitled Mary Last Seen.
20th Century Fox, All-Region BD, £25 Approx, On sale now
HCC VERDICT: 4/5
Home Cinema Choice #351 is on sale now, featuring: Samsung S95D flagship OLED TV; Ascendo loudspeakers; Pioneer VSA-LX805 AV receiver; UST projector roundup; 2024’s summer movies; Conan 4K; and more
|