Below are two films about cults, Faults (2014) and Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011).
I. Faults
In Faults, called by Simon Abrams (rogerebert.com) a “black-comedy/thriller,” a religious cult has taken over the life of a young woman, Claire (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). In order to get her back, her parents hire a mind control expert, Ansel Roth (Leland Orser). After Ansel manages to free her, he takes Claire to a motel room for the five-day deprogramming.
The movie was written/directed by Riley Stearns, who also happens to be married to actress Winstead.
Consider yourself warned about the trailer—definitely gives off a creepy and violent vibe:
The Deprogrammer/Deprogramming
Who is this supposed authority on cults? Andy Webster, New York Times: “Ansel has his own baggage: Once a renowned expert in the vein of the cult authority Rick Alan Ross, he mourns his failed marriage, owes money to a creditor and unsuccessfully hawks his latest book at second-rate venues. Between the intimidating posturing of Claire’s father (Chris Ellis) and the alternately hysterical, vulnerable and assertive Claire, he finds his mettle challenged to the limit.”
David Ehrlich: “If he weren’t a published expert at talking people out of cults, Ansel…would be an obvious candidate for joining one…Ansel may not be a con man—Orser’s indelible turn elevates the character’s desperation into its own sad brand of sincerity—but Faults nevertheless delights in questioning the value of his product.”
Selected Reviews
Andy Webster, New York Times: “While ‘Faults’ glances at the narcissism of cult leaders, its most penetrating investigation is into the root emptiness within disciples, the desperate hunger to relinquish personal initiative. And yet no film has fully charted the self-abnegation found in, say, the harrowing ‘exit statements’ of the Heaven’s Gate members, a void too vast and perhaps too terrifying to measure.”
John Darnielle, Slate: “It seems a little far-fetched, and then it doesn’t, and then it really does, but by the time you get there you won’t care anymore. Its final reveal is the sort of beautiful Twilight Zone fillip you see coming only about 10 seconds before it arrives, and I recommend seeing the movie without reading anything further about it: The payoff is that good…”
II. Martha Marcy May Marlene
First-time director/screenwriter Sean Durkin is behind Martha Marcy May Marlene. The plot (IMDB): “Haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, a damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult.” Following her escape, she winds up staying with her sister (Sarah Paulson) and brother-in-law (Hugh Dancy).
Explanation of the title: Lead character “Martha” is given a cult name of “Marcy May” by the cult leader and is also dubbed “Marlene” by a fellow cult victim. She’s played by Elizabeth Olsen, who’s received stellar reviews.
Cult leader Patrick (John Hawkes) as described by reviewer Anthony Lane (The New Yorker): “Like any good cult leader, he is a terrifying parody of a father figure, intent on making his kin feel at home. He has them fed, housed, and warmly encouraged—’You’re my favorite, and I won’t lose you,’ he says to Martha. He also rapes them.”
Selected Reviews
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: “Durkin depicts a horror that some among us actually live, where the search for family leads to something familiar and dangerous.”
Andrew O’Hehir, Salon: “…an utterly gripping ride that will keep you guessing until the last second about what is real and what imagined, and whether Martha has entirely snapped the tether of sanity.”
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian: “It’s acted and directed like a sensitive drama, rather than a scary movie, and is all the scarier for it.”
