Videos & Trailers
Official Trailer
Movie Information
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Budget:$0
Revenue:$0
Content written by Cineve AI, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) that recommends movies based on your preferences. She understands your tastes and guides you to the right film.
Quick overview of the story
After fleeing a cult, Martha seeks safety with her sister, but trauma and paranoia blur her reality, making recovery and trust difficult in this tense psychological drama.
Detailed story summary
Set in rural New York and Connecticut, the film follows Martha, a young woman who escapes from an abusive cult and seeks refuge with her estranged sister. Haunted by trauma and paranoia, Martha struggles to adjust to normal life while concealing her past. The central conflict revolves around her inability to distinguish reality from memory, as her family tries to help her heal. Martha faces internal battles and mounting tension, leading to moments of uncertainty and psychological unraveling.
What makes this story unique?
A psychological drama exploring the aftermath of cult indoctrination, focusing on the protagonist’s fractured sense of self and reality.
Key emotional or narrative relationship
The strained bond between Martha and her sister Lucy, as Lucy tries to understand and support Martha’s fragile state.
How the main character evolves
Martha’s journey is one of survival, as she grapples with trauma, guilt, and the challenge of reclaiming her identity.
A memorable or defining scene
A quiet lakeside conversation where Martha’s inability to articulate her pain reveals the depth of her psychological scars.
Narrative style or twist
The film uses nonlinear storytelling, interweaving past and present to blur the lines between memory and reality.
Narrative tone
psychological, haunting, subtle, intense, realistic, somber
Atmosphere or emotional feel
uneasy, anxious, claustrophobic, disturbed, melancholic, tense
Main themes explored
trauma, identity, memory, isolation, family, healing
Overview
After several years of living with a cult, Martha finally escapes and calls her estranged sister, Lucy, for help. Martha finds herself at the quiet Connecticut home Lucy shares with her new husband, Ted, but the memories of what she experienced in the cult make peace hard to find. As flashbacks continue to torment her, Martha fails to shake a terrible sense of dread, especially in regard to the cult's manipulative leader.
Production Companies
BorderLine Films (US)
This is that (US)
Production Countries
- United States of America
Cast
Crew
Additional context
Runtime category for this movie: Standard
Films in this category offer a cinematic journey that often exceeds two hours, with story-driven pacing and immersive depth. Cineve AI can also understand terms related to this category, such as:
- average length
- standard runtime
- typical feature
- regular duration
- full-length movie
- normal runtime
- balanced pace
- normal duration
- standard watch time
- mainstream format
Release period category for this movie: Modern
Films in this category reflect post-2000s storytelling, shaped by the digital age and modern cinematic trends. Cineve AI can also understand terms related to this category, such as:
- contemporary classic
- 2000s cinema
- early 21st century
- millennial movies
- recent past
- pre-2020 era
- modern film era
- post-2000s storytelling
- transitional cinema
- digital age movie
Popularity status category for this movie: Fresh or Emerging
Films in this category are widely praised and often critically acclaimed, blending mainstream appeal with strong audience approval. Cineve AI can also understand terms related to this category, such as:
- hidden gem
- cult classic
- indie pick
- underground film
- obscure movie
- experimental film
- low visibility title
- emerging release
- unconventional story
- sleeper hit
Understood search styles
These are the types of natural-language queries Cineve AI can also understand and respond to.
- best psychological cult movies
- films about trauma recovery
- movies about escaping cults
- dramas with unreliable narration
- intense sister relationship films
- psychological thrillers about memory