SciFiNow - 06.2020

062 | W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K

Saint Maud

God complex

Release 1 May

Director Rose Glass

Cast Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle, Lily Knight,

Lily Frazer

Distributor Studio Canal

Certificate 15

For her feature debut, writer/

director Rose Glass has conjured up a

taut psychological horror with thrills,

chills and perhaps most terrifying of all

• a sobering social message.
  Starring Morfydd Clark as its enigmatic
  heroine, Saint Maud tells the very timely tale
  of a troubled young woman who is struggling
  with mental health issues and a dark past,
  who happens to find eleventh-hour solace in
  palliative care and religion.
  However, while the former leads her to the
  home of terminally ill dancer Amanda (Jennifer
  Ehle) to provide some much-needed end-of-life
  assistance, the latter reveals itself in a much
  more visceral and unnerving way.
  Convinced she can hear the voice of God
  inside her head, Maud’s deity delusions escalate
  into spasms of electric ecstasy, soon becoming
  the only real relationship left in her increasingly
  isolated world.
  As a flurry of faceless bystanders pass her

The Hunt

The chase is on

Release Out now

Director Craig Zobel

Cast Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank

Distributor Universal

Certificate 15

When the film’s initial cancellation

was announced, many who had yet to

see The Hunt took issue with the story

that seemed to be about a bunch of left-

wing liberals rounding up some right-wingers and

hunting them down in a game-style shoot-out. And

while that description is not entirely inaccurate,

the film itself is quite different than the initial

reaction supposed.

For one thing, both sides are painted as

complete imbeciles: one racist, homophobic and

narrow-minded and the other sanctimonious,

judgemental and, yeah, you guessed it, narrow-

minded. Rather than argue that one side is

right and the other is wrong, the film pokes fun

and ridicules the extremes on both sides. It’s

aggressively centrist and never tries to be serious,

instead taking absolute pleasure in ridiculing

anyone who believes themselves better than others,

no matter what the reason.

And in a sea of vile, insufferable characters,

there is Betty Gilpin’s Crystal, an enigmatic figure

we can’t help but root for. Gilpin is engaging,

amusing and kind of badass. She also says so much

with little dialogue and breathes life into a great

central character. To say more would divulge too

much of the plot, so just trust that Gilpin will see

you through.

The whole set-up is utterly absurd and the

violence (which is there from the outset) is so

over-the-top that it’s shocking while never feeling

particularly scary or unsettling. The film feels like a

mix of horror/thriller and dark comedy and dances

the line between styles really well. The Hunt moves

along at a pace, pausing from time to time to set

the scene but never dwelling on anything for too

long and becoming dull.

It’s easy to see why people might not like this

film, though. It acts like it’s trying to make a point

but the only point is that people need to stop

being so horrendous and judgemental. It’s silly,

entertaining and completely insane, with an epic

fight scene to boot. And I’m a little concerned by

just how much I enjoyed it...

Amanda Keats

    

by – either oblivious, uninterested or a cruel

combination of both – things take a further

nosedive when her relationship with Amanda

suddenly sours. Pushed to her edge of her

faith and her sanity, Maud starts to believe her

mission from God has finally revealed itself –

and it’s one that’ll test her religious devotion to

the absolute limit.

Beautifully capturing the bitter sting of

loneliness just as effortlessly as she captures the

horrific nature of self-mutilation, Saint Maud

establishes Glass as a filmmaker who doesn’t

need much to say a hell of a lot. In fact, the true

terror of this grounded horror lies in its small

subtle details. From the dark brutality and

uncaring harshness of Maud’s surroundings to a

small yet incredibly effective sequence involving

a shoe, some thumbtacks and hefty dose of

religious remorse.

Throughout it all we’re anchored by Clark,

whose deceptively sweet performance as Glass’s

tortured heroine cements her status as one of

2020’s most intriguing actors. As for Glass, the

feeling’s mutual. If Saint Maud is anything to go

by, both star and director are destined for very

big things.

Simon Bland

    

Director Rose Glass’ idea

for Saint Maud originally

featured a nun developing a

sado-masochistic relationship

with the voice of God. Kinky.

REVIEWS CINEMA

062 | W W W. S C I FI N OW.CO.U K

Saint Maud

God complex

Release 1 May
Director Rose Glass
Cast Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle, Lily Knight,
Lily Frazer
Distributor Studio Canal
Certificate 15

For her feature debut, writer/

director Rose Glass has conjured up a

taut psychological horror with thrills,

chills and perhaps most terrifying of all

• a sobering social message.
  Starring Morfydd Clark as its enigmatic
  heroine, Saint Maud tells the very timely tale
  of a troubled young woman who is struggling
  with mental health issues and a dark past,
  who happens to find eleventh-hour solace in
  palliative care and religion.
  However, while the former leads her to the
  home of terminally ill dancer Amanda (Jennifer
  Ehle) to provide some much-needed end-of-life
  assistance, the latter reveals itself in a much
  more visceral and unnerving way.
  Convinced she can hear the voice of God
  inside her head, Maud’s deity delusions escalate
  into spasms of electric ecstasy, soon becoming
  the only real relationship left in her increasingly
  isolated world.
  As a flurry of faceless bystanders pass her

The Hunt

The chase is on

Release Out now

Director Craig Zobel

Cast Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank

Distributor Universal

Certificate 15

When the film’s initial cancellation

was announced, many who had yet to

see The Hunt took issue with the story

that seemed to be about a bunch of left-

wing liberals rounding up some right-wingers and

hunting them down in a game-style shoot-out. And

while that description is not entirely inaccurate,

the film itself is quite different than the initial

reaction supposed.

For one thing, both sides are painted as

complete imbeciles: one racist, homophobic and

narrow-minded and the other sanctimonious,

judgemental and, yeah, you guessed it, narrow-

minded. Rather than argue that one side is

right and the other is wrong, the film pokes fun

and ridicules the extremes on both sides. It’s

aggressively centrist and never tries to be serious,

instead taking absolute pleasure in ridiculing

anyone who believes themselves better than others,

no matter what the reason.

And in a sea of vile, insufferable characters,

there is Betty Gilpin’s Crystal, an enigmatic figure

we can’t help but root for. Gilpin is engaging,

amusing and kind of badass. She also says so much

with little dialogue and breathes life into a great

central character. To say more would divulge too

much of the plot, so just trust that Gilpin will see

you through.

The whole set-up is utterly absurd and the

violence (which is there from the outset) is so

over-the-top that it’s shocking while never feeling

particularly scary or unsettling. The film feels like a

mix of horror/thriller and dark comedy and dances

the line between styles really well. The Hunt moves

along at a pace, pausing from time to time to set

the scene but never dwelling on anything for too

long and becoming dull.

It’s easy to see why people might not like this

film, though. It acts like it’s trying to make a point

but the only point is that people need to stop

being so horrendous and judgemental. It’s silly,

entertaining and completely insane, with an epic

fight scene to boot. And I’m a little concerned by

just how much I enjoyed it...

Amanda Keats

    

by – either oblivious, uninterested or a cruel

combination of both – things take a further

nosedive when her relationship with Amanda

suddenly sours. Pushed to her edge of her

faith and her sanity, Maud starts to believe her

mission from God has finally revealed itself –

and it’s one that’ll test her religious devotion to

the absolute limit.

Beautifully capturing the bitter sting of

loneliness just as effortlessly as she captures the

horrific nature of self-mutilation, Saint Maud

establishes Glass as a filmmaker who doesn’t

need much to say a hell of a lot. In fact, the true

terror of this grounded horror lies in its small

subtle details. From the dark brutality and

uncaring harshness of Maud’s surroundings to a

small yet incredibly effective sequence involving

a shoe, some thumbtacks and hefty dose of

religious remorse.

Throughout it all we’re anchored by Clark,

whose deceptively sweet performance as Glass’s

tortured heroine cements her status as one of

2020’s most intriguing actors. As for Glass, the

feeling’s mutual. If Saint Maud is anything to go

by, both star and director are destined for very

big things.

Simon Bland

    

Director Rose Glass’ idea

for Saint Maud originally

featured a nun developing a

sado-masochistic relationship

with the voice of God. Kinky.

REVIEWS CINEMA