Saint Maud
Using the element of repulsion to explore trauma and its effects on the mind and body is what makes psychological repugnance plastic film so potent . While many motion-picture show take the common approaching when combining repugnance and faith — exorcism , self-control , and traffic with the heller — Saint Maudexamines the titular character ’s relationship with religion through the lens of her painful past . Masterfully written and directed , Saint Maudis a captivating , compelling , and disquieting horror film that is distinct and incredibly intense .
After a traumatic incident at work , Katie rechristens herself as Maud ( Morfydd Clark ) and leaves her job and life behind to become a devout Roman Catholic . She becomes a secret palliative nursemaid for the terminally sick Amanda ( Jennifer Ehle ) , a famous former terpsichorean and choreographer . An atheist , Amanda fears death and confesses as much to Maud , who likewise admit that she can see and hear God all around her . Maud is pious to the percentage point of pain sensation , endeavor to strengthen her relationship as a handmaid of God through redoubtable acts . While in correspondence with the almighty , Maud comes to believe that God desire her to save Amanda ’s soul before she dies and her effort become progressively dire and simultaneously unflinching .
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Saint Maudis a substantial feature film debut for writer - director Rose Glass , whose power to combine psychological horror with the perverse zealotry of Maud is masterful . As the write up unfolds , the intellect for Maud ’s behaviour comes into sharper focussing , but what Glass does so well is exert an ambiguity regarding her family relationship with God . It ’s never quite unclouded whether Maud is truly seeing and listen God or if she ’s hallucinating the entire experience . There are moment of sheer affright that even propose she ’s somehow been possess . The film blatantly blurs the line of reality , which makes for a chilling visual experience .
As the story unravels , so does Maud and the upshot is a deeply disturbing and downright unsettling character study of how trauma paves the elbow room for her to seek out organized religion and God as a mode toward repurchase and pardon . Maud redefine herself , profoundly haunted by the incident at work . While she fashions herself a newly god-fearing woman , Saint Maudisn’t preaching about organized religion or even about what ’s correct or wrong . As an boulevard for psychological exploration , however , the celluloid works on many level .
Maud and Amanda ’s kinship is rife with tension . They ’re united by their partake loneliness and separated by their counterpoint feeling . Ehle plays Amanda with a cryptical sense of bitterness and disdain for the hand she ’s been dealt . She ’s sharp and ostensibly entertained by the idea of God ’s existence , which pits her against Maud in thrilling ways . Saint Maudalso analyse the characters ’ opposing ideology and how they link and juxtapose when it comes to death . Morfydd is incredible as Maud , portraying her with self - righteous confidence , simmering foiling , and insecurity all at once . Through her functioning , it ’s never clear when Maud will rupture . She ’s see and aim , but also unfirm and stark . There ’s a cryptical sense of foreboding throughout that makes Morfydd ’s portrait all the more telling to see .
Ben Fordesman ’s motion-picture photography is beautiful . The scenes between Amanda and Maud stand out in particular , with the dimmed lighting creating an enveloping darkness that lurks and hovers , inch ever closer . It complement and heightens the often oppressive atmosphere of the picture , which add itself to the intensity level and the discomfit revulsion of the finale . Glass ’ film is n’t filled with too many obvious scare , which would have candidly done a disservice to the narration . Rather , the repugnance lies in the visceral veneration , ambiguity , and psychological element , all of which elevateSaint Maudand work together to make a sensational infused film that is as satisfying and haunting .
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Saint Maudis make for in select field and drive - Hoosier State beginning January 29 and will be release exclusively on Epix on February 12 . The film is 84 moment long and is rated R for disturbing and trigger-happy content , intimate content and speech .
Morfydd Clark and Jennifer Ehle in Saint Maud.
Saint Maud follows Maud , a pious and reclusive nurse , who becomes haunt with saving the soulfulness of her new patient , Amanda , a retired professional dancer grappling with terminal malady . Directed by Rose Glass , this psychological repulsion cut into into themes of faith , salvation , and the okay line between idolatry and madness . As Maud ’s missionary work intensifies , her clutches on reality begins to sneak , lead to a gripping and unsettling climax .
Morfydd Clark in Saint Maud.
