History Film / MarthaMarcyMayMarlene

* MonochromeCasting

** Notably though, despite no mention of racial beliefs, all of the cult members are caucasian.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The cult is loosely inspired by the [[CharlesManson Manson "family"]]. This is primarily in terms of the family's recruitment methods and the activities they carried out together, and less in terms of their beliefs - Patrick makes no mention of possessing any racially-oriented beliefs, for example. Patrick himself is practically an {{Expy}} of Manson: like Manson, Patrick is a folk guitarist, and JohnHawkes bears more than a passing resemblance to the man himself.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The cult is loosely inspired by the [[CharlesManson Manson "family"]]. This is primarily in terms of the family's recruitment methods and the activities they carried out together, and less in terms of their beliefs - Patrick makes no mention of possessing any racially-oriented beliefs, for example. Patrick himself is practically an {{Expy}} of Manson: JohnHawkes bears more than a passing resemblance to the man himself.

* MonochromeCasting: Given the setting in upstate New York, this is at least somewhat justified.

* WordSaladTitle: Although ItMakesSenseInContext. Martha is the protagonist's real name and "Marcy May" is what Patrick christens her upon her induction into the cult. Additionally, when answering the phone, all male members of the cult are instructed to use the name "Matthew Lewis" so as to avoid revealing their identities, while all female members are to go by "Marlene Lewis".

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The cult is loosely inspired by the [[CharlesManson Manson "family"]] (although more in terms of the family's recruitment methods and the activities they carried out together, and less in terms of their beliefs - Patrick makes no mention of possessing any racially-oriented beliefs, for example).

* MonochromeCasting

* RapeAsDrama
** RapeIsLove: The cult insists that being raped by Patrick is really this.

A 2011 independent PsychologicalThriller film, written and directed by first-timer Sean Durkin and starring Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson and Hugh Dancy.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: The cult initially seems like a fairly harmless bunch of hippies, with some at least defensible ideas about leaving behind material possessions and cleansing one's body of toxins. But they are soon revealed to be [[ItGotWorse much nastier than that]].

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Patrick, and by extension the cult, believe in some decidedly... ''traditional'' views of gender roles.

* {{Brainwashed}}: In the traditional sense. Even after Martha has grown disillusioned with the cult and escaped, she still finds herself reciting their beliefs verbatim at times.

* SexAsRiteOfPassage: Part of the induction process for the female members is to have sex with Patrick.

* {{Fauxshadow}}: [[spoiler: Patrick teaching Martha to fire a gun suggests she [[ChekhovsSkill may need to use a gun again]] at some point (nope). Martha's fondnest for swimming in the lake and her sister's caution that the day is quite cold for swimming suggests [[TemptingFate that she might meet a watery end]] (also nope).]]

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The cult is loosely inspired by the [[CharlesManson Manson "family"]].

* PaintingTheFourthWall: One of the only fade-outs in the film comes when Lucy and Ted give Martha tranquillizers to help her sleep when she becomes hysterical at a party. The film fades out as she starts to fall asleep.

** Martha has this for her sister at the end:

-->'''Martha''': It's not your fault you choose to measure your success by money and possessions. It's just not the ''right'' way to live.
-->'''Ted''': It's not the right way to live? What is the right way to live exactly? Martha, what is the right way to live? Is it vanishing off the face of the earth and not calling your family for two years or until they're worried sick about you? Is that the right way to live? Or is it living without possessions until you actually need some and turning up on ''our'' doorstep where you know you can get some? Is that the right way to live? You sit there lecturing us about our lives, and so far I have not witnessed one sign that you have any values of your own. You should remember, Martha, you are living under ''my'' roof, and you are eating ''my'' food, and you should watch your mouth because you are rude!"

--->'''Martha''': You're going to be a terrible mother.

It concerns itself with a young woman named Martha (Olsen), who calls her estranged sister Lucy (Paulson) in a panic, asking her to collect her from a small town in the Catskill Mountains. Lucy does so, and Martha goes to stay with Lucy and her husband Ted (Dancy). Unbeknownst to either of them, Martha has been a member of a sinister hippie cult for the past two years, led by the charismatic but mysterious Patrick (Hawkes). Her experiences with the cult are revealed in flashback.

* HowWeGotHere: The film alternates between Martha in the present and flashbacks to her time with the cult.
** Arguably, it also inverts this trope in that it does not fully explain how Martha or other cult members are recruited.

** Martha also jumps into a lake naked, assuming that this is normal, versus wearing a bathing suit. Her sister screams at her to get out of the water. It's shown in flashback that the cult's female members swim without clothes.

* DroneOfDread: A large portion of the soundtrack.

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: This sums up the entire film. It is one of the few non-silent films that does not use or need extensive dialogue to explain what is going on. A great example in this troper's opinion is when Ted tells Martha how long she had been gone. The look on Martha's face is a mix of shock and horror; she had no idea.