Rent Saint Maud on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Rose Glass
Directed by: Rose Glass
Starring: Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle, Lily Frazer
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A pious nurse becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient.
Verdict
This explores religion through a new convert that desperately wants affirmation. Is she seeing true signs or imagining them? This draws parallels between Maud and early saints. Some of her acts aren't that dissimilar, but in the present day she seems delusional. She's more focused on her self than the good her acts would do. Throughout the movie I wondered if what we see is distorted by Maud's perspective. The final scene provides that answer in an amazing yet chilling scene. This is a movie that does everything right, achieving it's goal of providing something to consider packaged in a chilling story.
Watch It.
Review
This is Rose Glass's directorial feature debut. She followed it with Love Lies Bleeding (2024).
Maud (Morfydd Clark) is a nurse for Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), a former dancer/choreographer who is nearing the end of her life due to lymphoma. Maud feels her calling is to help people, and she thinks God is calling her to save Amanda's soul. Maud is obsessive, and the other side is that she's very religious. It's a fine line as we wonder whether it's misplaced faith. We also see that she's a recent convert.
 |
| Morfydd Clark plays Maud |
Maud burns her hand intentionally. Is it an act of frustration while seeking a sign or an act of penance hoping to generate a sign? I expect she'd call it devotion. At a party Amanda mocks Maud for being so pious. Maud tried to drive away her friend earlier due to being a distraction. Maud doesn't react well to the embarrassment. She's desperate for a sign, some kind of validation. At that point, anything could be a sign, interpreted however she chooses. She turns to what amounts to torture. I'm sure she'd say it's purification, but it's not faith it's delusion. She's punishing herself in an effort to achieve a higher plane and greater insight. The line of faith is all but gone. Plenty of ancient saints committed wild acts of servitude and piousness. They're lauded, but in the modern day the same actions look wild.
 |
| Morfydd Clark plays Maud |
All of this could be Maud dealing with the grief of losing a patient. She wants to make up for it, diving into religion as an escape. Due to her fervor, she wants a sign, affirmation that she's on the right path. Her excitement has divorced her from reality. That's the point the movie is making. The concept of religion can have strange effects, especially when you're desperate for a sign. Maud is so eager to save Amanda that when she realizes Amanda hasn't been moved by the spirit, Maud sees her as a demon. The problem is that we're seeing this through Maud's eyes. She doesn't want to accept what Amanda is saying. It's easier to dismiss her as a demon and distraction.
We see plenty of people that use religion as a ruse or as a way to make money, but with this Maud is so desperate to believe. With no guidance, she falls prey to focusing on what God can do for her instead of focusing on what she can do for people. It was never about the religion, but about herself. In the final scene Maud makes herself a martyr or tribute. The scene features an amazing jump cut.
No comments :
Post a Comment