Yet another frame of mind I cannot really even imagine. What is it like to be swallowed whole by a cult? I think: Isn’t it really a craving to banish dasein? The yearning to make everything in life a ritual. And, in being a ritual, necessary? Or is my own rendition of nihilism just another kind of oblivion?
One thing’s for sure: in or out of a cult each community has its own set of rules. In part, of course, because they have to. But rules and rituals can be very, very different things.
But what happens when you become lost in both worlds? You crawl into one of your own. A different set of delusions altogether. Well, anyway, if you [or those around you] can afford to.
What makes this film exceptional [for me] are all the things we can only guess at. The ending in particular.
IMDb
“There are quite a few similarities between Patrick’s cult or Martha’s story in this movie and the real-life Charles Manson ‘family’ group. Among them: Manson, like Patrick, attracted a group of young and attractive but damaged young men and especially women to a remote, rural compound. Manson often renamed the members of his family–just as Patrick decided that Martha should be named ‘Marcy May,’ Manson dubbed Susan Atkins ‘Sadie Mae Glutz.’ Manson, like Patrick, made sex with all or nearly all of the women a requirement of ‘family’ membership, and both the real Manson and the fictional Patrick encouraged everyone to have multiple sexual partners. Manson murderer Susan Atkins had experienced the early death of her mother and subsequently started having behavioral problems that made her vulnerable to the cult’s allure, as Martha had, and Manson murderer Patricia Krenwinkel fled to a relative’s home after the murders because she was scared the ‘family’ would track her down, as Martha did. Manson, like Patrick, had his more trusted members go out of the compound at night to break into wealthy people’s homes, steal from them, disrupt and terrorize their lives, and ultimately kill some of them.”
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
Written and directed by Sean Durkin
[b]Martha [seemingly out of the blue to Lucy]: Is it true married people don’t fuck?
…
Ted [as Martha skinny dips]: That’s an interesting choice of swimwear.
…
Lucy: Martha! What are you doing?
Martha: What?
Lucy: Would you put some clothes on, you can’t swim naked.
Martha: Why?
Lucy: You just can’t. There are kids around and people come by.
Martha: So?
…
Patrick: If you feel safe here, and I think you do, let us in. We just want to help you.
Zoe: Yeah, we think you’re fucking awesome.
Patrick: But if you’re going to live here then you really need to be a part of things.[/b]
Like this:
[b]Katie [after Marcy May/Martha has basically been raped by Patrick]: I know you feel like something bad just happened Marcy May, but you have to trust me, that was not bad, it was truly good. We’ve all been in this situation, and we wouldn’t all still be here if what happened in that room was bad. We all love each other very much, we are all together on this, you have to trust us. Do you believe me?
[Martha nods.]
…
Zoe: You’re so lucky, I’d give anything to have my first time again.
Martha: Really?
Zoe: Yeah, it’s so special.
Martha: I can’t remember anything, I just woke up on the floor and felt this pain
Zoe: That’s the cleansing. It’s good. It means it’s working if you can’t remember things. You’re cleansing yourself of the past and the toxins.
[Martha is distant]
Zoe: You need to share yourself, don’t be so selfish.
Martha: I’m not.
Zoe: So smile then, enjoy this amazing night. It only happens once.[/b]
Like I said, anything can be rationalized. Fortunately, we have real philosophers here who can tell us what is okay and not okay to rationalize.
[b]Lucy: Why would you think it’s okay to come in here like that?
Martha: I don’t know. It’s a big bed. You guys were on the other side.
Lucy: You can’t just come into our room when we’re having sex. That’s not normal. It’s private.
Martha: Sorry.
Lucy: You don’t need to apologize. Just - I need you to understand why it’s not okay.
Martha: Okay.
Lucy: Do you?
Martha: Yeah.
Lucy: Well?
Martha: Because it’s private and not normal.
Lucy: Oh, God.
…
Lucy: I’m her only family, you know. She needs to know that she can depend on me right now. It’s complicated.
Ted: As complicated as it might be, we can’t ignore the fact that her behavior is fucking insane
…
Lucy: Martha, I think the world of you, I’m just wondering if I should have come back and kept you in school and helped you go to college, you had so much potential.
Martha: I don’t need your guidance, I never did. I’m a teacher and a leader, you just never let me be that but now I know I am, I know who I am.
Lucy: Teacher and a leader?
…
Martha: People don’t need careers, people should just exist. [Ted laughs.]
Ted: I have moments when I would love to move to France and just exist but it doesn’t work that way.
Martha: You can do that if you want to.
Ted: It’s not that simple.
Martha: (cautiously): It’s not your fault but you learned that success is measured by money and possessions. It’s just not the right way to live.
Ted: And what do you think the right way to live is? Is it vanishing off the face of the earth, not calling your family for two years or until they are worried sick about you. Is that the right way to live? Or is it, I don’t know, living without possessions until you actually need someone and then showing up on pour doorstep where you know you can get some? You sit there lecturing us about our lives and so far, I have not witnessed one sign that you have any values pf your own. You should remember that you sleeping under my roof and you are eating my food so watch your mouth because you are rude.
Martha: You don’t know anything about it.
…
Patrick: You know that death is the most beautiful part of life, right? Death is beautiful because we all fear death. And fear is the most amazing emotion of all because it creates complete awareness. It brings you to now, and it makes you truly present. And when you’re truly present, that’s nirvana. That’s pure love. So death is pure love.[/b]
Uh, right. How do these people mange to convince themselves of things like that? Or, perhaps, more to the point, why can’t I?
[b]Ted: What’s going on?
Lucy: Who the fuck knows.
…
Martha: [about their robbery victim] Zoe, I can’t stop thinking about that man.
Zoe: Yeah. I know. We’re never really dead or alive; we just exist. So he’s still existing, but it’s in a parallel time. Just don’t think about it.
…
Lucy: What the fuck happened?
Ted: She kicked me down the fucking stairs. Jesus Christ, what’s it going to take, Lucy?
Lucy [to Martha]: You could have killed him.
Martha: I was confused.
Lucy: About what, what are you so confused about?
Martha: I thought he was someone else.
Lucy [her anger building]: You thought he was someone else? What is wrong with you?!
[pause]
Lucy: I’m not doing this anymore, I’m not doing this anymore. I beat myself up over you for all these years and I’m sick of it, I’m sick of chasing you down and worrying about you. I need to move on.
Martha: I’m sorry.
Lucy: You need help Martha.
Martha: I know.
Lucy: What happened to you? [Martha shakes her head with a severe look of fear in her eyes] What happened to you?!
Martha [screaming] I DON’T KNOW!!
Lucy: We’re going to get you proper help.
Martha: Are you going to send me away?
Lucy: I don’t know how to help you anymore.
Martha [pleading]: Please don’t. Please don’t.
Lucy: I can’t help you.
Martha: Please, I can’t be alone, please.
Lucy: We’re trying to have a family and I don’t feel safe with you here.
Martha: Lucy?
Lucy: What?
[louder]
Lucy: What?
Martha: You’re gonna be a terrible mother.[/b]