Related Titles: The Exorcist, Midsommar, The Witch, Carrie
Rating: 8/10
By Leanne
Saint Maud is Rose Glass' debut film as a screenwriter and director. I personally really enjoyed this film, enough to go and see it twice in the cinema and I will probably end up adding it to my collection. The most fatal flaw that this film has suffered, is mis-marketing. Having spoken to a number of people about this film, they all come to the same conclusion: it's not a horror. Cinema trailers plugged this film as the next big, scary film when really it's scary but in a more low key, underhand way. Had this film been marketed as the psychological thriller it really is, I think it would have had more success with wider audiences.
Based around the character of Maud, a young woman who works as a hospice carer. The film is set in an unnamed British seaside town. I liked that the location wasn't specified as it set up the idea that this kind of thing could happen anywhere. The beach town seemed similar to most British coastlines, with an intentionally (I'm sure) bleak looking beach and local arcade with bright flashing lights. Nothing else is really important about the town that Maud resides in, normal life seems to go on around her. Maud is the character that we follow through the whole film and it opens with her in a terrifying, dark hospital ward, where she is seen shrivelled in the corner crying after having some kind of traumatic event take place with a patient on the bed opposite her. This is never truly explained but comes back to haunt her on numerous occasions, with others commenting on it vaguely and strange flashbacks taking over her mind. Throughout the film reality mixes with Maud's unstable mind and leaves the audience not knowing what's real and what isn't.
There are a few side characters that are spotted throughout the film but really only two characters that matter, Maud and her terminally ill patient Amanda. Most of the film is set in the dark home of Amanda, which mimics her character, once lavish but now faded, or dark evenings in the local town. Maud's commitment to religion is introduced from the offset and this commitment quickly turns to obsession as she commits herself to saving Amanda from her past while continuing to battle her own demons. The real genius in this film is that everything begins to blend together and it becomes hard to see the truth. It's refreshingly not filled with jump scares but instead filled with all consuming loneliness with the dark colour palette and simple solitary life that Maud leads. Instead, the scare factor comes from this looming past that keeps rearing it's head and the physical body horror that edges in through Maud's self-flagellation in her attempt to find salvation.
Morfydd Clark plays titular character Maud. Clark is definitely one to watch, she plays Maud with such conviction that her devotion to God and her deep seated belief that he speaks to her about his deeper plan for her seems authentic. Her often wide-eyed, silence adds to the darkness and loneliness of each scene. Amanda is played by Jennifer Ehle. She plays the role of eccentric, terminally-ill alcoholic well, clearly revelling and having fun with the snide comments and her unkind nature towards Maud. She convinces Maud of her need for salvation and so their 'friendship' begins. This obviously takes a turn for the worse and Amanda's salvation becomes Maud's obsession, leading them both down a dangerous path.
One of the main things that I took from this was surrounding mental health and the result of social and religious isolation. One of the most isolating scenes in the whole film was Maud's uncomfortable time spent in the pub, where she was thrown into this normal environment, Where she is surrounded by people and tries to desperately make human connection but is still left alone and often mocked by those around her. Maud clearly suffered a traumatic experiences which is touched on in the film and it's never really addressed. Throughout the film an old colleague rears her head a few times and states that 'we knew you were struggling and should have done more' - this is before the unknown event happened and it's soon made clear that despite knowing that Maud was struggling no one checked in with her before or after this incident took place. This led to Maud finding this feeling of support and safety from religion.
There is a lot of religious imagery throughout the film, some of which I'm sure I completely missed. There are interesting comparisons to be made between Maud's seemingly disgusted but intrigued nature at Amanda's relationship with sex worker Carol and her chosen Saint, Mary Magdalene. There is also an interesting scene in which Maud speaks to 'God'. which after doing some research, I found out is actually Clark speaking Welsh altered down to a deep, demonic tone. This in itself can be read in different ways; a continued commentary on deep religious beliefs or voices in her head telling her what she so desperately wants to hear.
I think I enjoyed this film so much because it lets the viewer decide what to take from the film. Every person I spoke to about this film had something different that they took away. This will be one of those films that each time I watch it, despite it's short 83 minute runtime, I will notice something new. I'm also certain that the final closing scene will be etched in my memory for a long time. The sudden, horrific ending is a great way to close the film because it was so shocking.
This film definitely won't be for everyone. But, for any psychological, thriller fans out there, I would recommend taking a chance on this!
Rating: 6/10
By Rebecca
Forgive me but there is a big gap between watching Saint Maud and writing this review, so my memory may be a bit foggy. However I don't forget the overwhelming feeling of being underwhelmed. From the marketing campaigns direction, I was preparing to be terrified and shocked at this new horror film but that really didn't happen until the last section of the film. If there was any representation or underlying message running through the narrative it completely missed me, and I left the cinema questioning what was the whole point of the story. Nevertheless, I can also see why other people enjoyed it a lot. There was a lot tension build up, there were moments of still-ness which let the audience think and imagine what could happen next. I won't speak too much on the actual plot as I feel as Leanne has summed it up pretty well but I will speak about the character of Maud.
We meet Maud and there's suddenly a flashback to when she was working in a hospital. She has blood all over her hands and it seems like someone has died. So firstly the audience is questioning whether Maud has killed this patient, or she is traumatised by the experience of trying to save someones life for them to die. Both of these outcomes can explain why Maud's nature is extremely particular. She is introverted and quiet, however you can tell she is listening and observing everything Amanda does and says. There are moments when Maud is in control but then other moments you feel like she is losing her grasp on things. We find out a little bit more about Maud when she bumps into an old colleague. She starts off by calling Maud a different name, so now we are questioning whether Maud is her real name or what. I think Maud was truly lonely. She didn't know anyone who was like her in terms of her religious beliefs and I think that's why she targeted Amanda into showing her ways. There was also a super strange scene where you see Maud go on a 'night out' on her own. She gets absolutely smashed and has a few sexual encounters with men. That honestly seems so out of character for her, and I was not quite sure on how to process this wild and out of control behaviour.
The film moves along at a somewhat good pace, and then all of a sudden, there is this ending. I spoil it for you, but oh my god. It was shocking, like proper shocking. I didn't really know how to feel about it. For me, I would probably never watch this movie again, but on the other hand it wasn't terrible at all. But the whole point of the story was just beyond me.
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