Bitter Sweet: Martha Marcy May Marlene Deconstruction #1

'Lake' Scene

The scene opens with a 2-shot/establishing shot. The shot shows the lake and its surroundings to set the scene. Although we cannot see the 2 girls clearly as the shot is from behind them, sisters Martha and Lucy are on deckchairs side by side.

The next shot is another 2 shot, this time: mid/close-up. The shot is from the side with Martha in the foreground and Lucy in the background. These 2 shots suggest their connections as sisters but they are not close or seen clearly, showing there is a disturbance there.

The next shot is taken from the other angle but with a similar set-up. The fact it’s taken from the opposite angle shows the situation has changed but in a seamless way (i.e. this works well with the integrated flashbacks).

Martha is always the focus of the shots, whether the other characters are in the foreground or background. This symbolizes how it’s her memories and realities that are being muddled and the structure of the film supports this in showing that he film is from her view.

The close-up of Patrick is intrusive and uncomfortable. This is appropriate for the genres drama and thriller because it shows his emotions and expressions and well as opposing them on the audience.

Again, the type of shot that is used as Martha stands up helps for the editing style the film has. The mid-shot allows it to be cut off a certain point meaning the camera angle has to change, making a seamless edit bringing her from memory to reality.

Throughout the scene at the lake, diegetic ambient sounds can be heard including the breeze, water and birds. This shows how relaxed this area is compared to where the cult lives. Martha imagines a continuous hammer banging when she thinks back to the place, showing a disturbance in her memories suggesting they aren’t very good memories.

During the first conversation between Martha and her sister Lucy, Martha asks questions like ‘how far are we?’ suggesting she feels at risk. Lucy seems concerned as she asks why Martha would ask such a question as she does not about the life Martha has been living.

Working with the editing is sound as it layers over the scenes in reality and memory to create a blur between them, suggesting Martha struggles to differentiate them. For example, in the memory scene, diegetic dialogue from Lucy’s husband Ted can be heard saying ‘I’m going in…wanna join?’ but it appears as though Patrick has just said this he has just left the shot and Martha turns around his way to say ‘sure’, yet when she stands up she’s back in reality.

When Patrick enters the memory scene, Martha and her friend Zoe adopt a dreamy voice suggesting that Patrick is admirable and there is some sort of attraction to him.
This is enforced further when Zoe says ‘I’m sorry’ in a flirty, cheeky tone while leaning toward him.

Patrick’s voice is slow, careful and caring yet assertive showing his authority but also how he’s someone to look up to in an inspirational and admirable manner.

He says to Martha: ‘you look like a Marcy May’. This gives her a new identity and reflects how much this cult with affect and change her.

All the characters dialogue shows something about them particularly through their tone of voice e.g. Lucy says ‘in a minute’ in an impatient and disturbed manner and ted says ‘That’s an interesting choice of swimwear’ in a light-hearted tone. This is an inspirational example as this works well to show how every character is different which is something that’s important to a film and therefore we will consider for our coursework.

Both the scenes of memory and reality are set in a natural area. The reality is by a large lake with a vacation villa/holiday home and sunbeds and a jetty. The memory scenes are set in the middle of nowhere in a field surrounded by a wooded area. This area is more secluded and less modern/built-up.

There are contrasts between Martha and Lucy particularly the way they dress and behave. Lucy is a stereotypical woman, sitting by the lake reading a book in a white tunic and big sunglasses, suggesting there’s nothing abnormal in her life. Martha is wearing plain baggy clothes with denim shorts with her legs up on the chair showing how she is younger than Lucy and maybe not as relaxed or used to this lifestyle.

There is also a stark difference emotionally between Martha and Marcy May (Martha in memory), the main difference being Martha is stuck replaying her memories, on edge and uncomfortable whereas Marcy May seems joyous, carefree and open-minded suggesting something bad must have happened between those two stages of her life.

The costuming also has differences between memory and reality scenes. In the cult, the clothes are more like what Martha wears as Zoe wears a checked shirt and denim shorts along with both of them being bare footed. This shows how the cult isn't driven by possessions. Patrick is seen wearing a white vest, jeans and brown boots which are practical for helping around the estate; this is their priority, not fashion.

Martha’s behaviour in the second phase of reality in the scene sparks mixed reactions. She goes swimming in the lake completely naked, much to the amusement and slight bewilderment of Ted. Lucy however is mortified and forces Martha to come out of the water. Martha however does not understand what’s wrong and questions Lucy until Lucy forces a towel round her and leaves Martha feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed.

The next shot shows Lucy walking toward the camera’s position and Martha following her. This could symbolize how she’s trying to fit in and please her sister by attempting to abide by social norms.

The structure of this scene integrates a scene from Martha’s memory in a scene from the present reality. This is done in a seamless way from the help of camera angles and sound (see relevant sections). This is unconventional but appropriate for the genre.

When the memory scene is introduced, the shot is of Martha. This then zooms out to reveal the different scene and characters. This allows the transition from reality to memory more blurred and smooth allowing less confusion in the audience straightaway but rather making them ask questions.

The second phase of the reality in the scene uses a lot of wide angles and tracking following all the action while using slow paced editing through shots that are not quickly cutting from one to the next. In a way, this makes some of the behaviour in the seen more uncomfortable and awkward appealing to the audience and appropriate for the drama/thriller genre. This pace also allows the film to seem more realistic.