Silent House

Today I saw Silent House, starring Elizabeth Olsen and Eric Sheffer Stevens.

I've decided that from now on I'll see anything starring Elizabeth Olsen. She's just that good.

Sarah (Olsen) and her father John (Adam Trese) are getting ready to sell the family lake house. They have returned to the apparent small town to pack up their things and fix the place up.

Sophia (Julia Taylor Ross) is Sarah's long-forgotten childhood friend, ecstatic to learn she's back in town. Uncle Peter (Stevens) is also around, and you get the sense there's a bit of sibling rivalry between him and John.

Everything here happens in real time, and the film is shot in such a way that you feel like an uninvited voyeur. That's not a bad thing considering the tension it subconsciously builds.

There doesn't seem to be any electricity in the home, so everyone carries camping lamps to light the rooms as they pack. The pair is supposed to have been there for a few days when we join them, but some of the rooms look as if they haven't been touched in years.

At night, Sarah grows scared of noises she hears upstairs so she sends her dad to investigate. When he doesn't come back, and a large crash is heard, Sarah knows she's in trouble.

For another hour, we're holding our breath right along with her as she hides from, escapes, follows and runs into what/who is terrorizing her. In classic horror storytelling fashion, we feel a sense of false peace more than once when we think she's overcome the evil, but there's always another surprise or twist around the corner.

I really liked this film, and more importantly loved the amazing performance by Olsen.

Seeing her for the first time in last year's Martha Marcy May Marlene, I knew she could shine in a drama; now I know she's also mastered all of the emotions necessary for a convincing horror piece.

Go see this—but do better than me, and take someone to hold onto.

~~~

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Today I saw Martha Marcy May Marlene starring Elizabeth Olsen and John Hawkes.

Finally, something Oscar-worthy in this dismal year of film.

Martha (Olsen) is a lost soul. Her father abandoned her family; her mother died. In light of these tragedies, she somehow finds her way to a commune, apparently craving a sense of place. At first, the hardworking family of people who make up the community seem nice, but we later learn that rape and violence are acceptable behaviors. The leader, Patrick (Hawkes), thinks it disloyal if members disagree.

We're not sure what pushes Martha over the edge, but our first introduction to her is when she is escaping the tribe. She calls her only sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson), for help.

Once in the safe confines of Lucy's summer lake house, Martha attempts to re-acclimate to regular society despite an impatient brother-in-law (Hugh Dancy) and no professional help.

We see the abuse and brainwashing she suffers through flashbacks, woven brilliantly into her present-day experiences. It's somewhat like experiencing PTSD once-removed, and the amazing Elizabeth Olsen does an Oscar-worthy job of conveying it.

Also great, but painful to watch, is John Hawkes as the menacing patriarch of the cult. He appears so gentle at first, it's believable that he could weave new recruits into his web of oppression.

What's clever about the film is that the community isn't blamed on any religious sect, and Martha's wandering spirit is sad, but not completely lost. Every moment of what transpires could happen. In fact, it probably has, many times over.

Though few will relate to brainwashing or communal living, everyone who sees this has certainly searched for belonging at some point in their life, whether it be in a relationship or a friendship or a career.

Watching this tortured soul navigate her way back into a life that she never had isn't easy, but it's so well done, you can't look away.

~~~