Oh, A24 horror, I have missed you...
Hey, everyone! I'm Marianna, this is Impression Blend, and I
finally got the chance to watch "Saint Maud", which I've been looking forward to
for a very long time, and it was very much worth the wait. So, let's talk about it!
"Saint Maud" is a psychological horror film told from the perspective of a quiet, lonely,
young nurse, who has a very special relationship with God. Maud talks to God, and believes God is
communicating back to her. She believes there's a greater purpose for her life, a mission reserved
specifically for her. When she starts taking care of Amanda, a retired dancer who is dying from
cancer, Maud becomes obsessed with the idea that she must save this woman's soul before she dies.
From that description, you might think that you're dealing with
just another "woman unraveling because of her religious upbringing" type of film,
but "Saint Maud" is a lot more interesting than that.
Our main character was NOT raised to be religious, and does not have
a community to lean on - her faith is hers alone, and open to her interpretation.
While at its core it IS Christianity, it's a recent development in Maud's life, born
out of past trauma, loneliness, and an attempt to make sense of her life and the world around her.
As the film goes on, we slowly start piecing together her past and what led to her conversion,
connecting the opening scene at the hospital to the rest of the story.
We watch the events unfold through Maud's eyes, and as we navigate her experiences
we realize how painful her loneliness and isolation are, and how important it is for her to
believe that her suffering isn't pointless.
Early in the movie we hear her talking to God saying: "Forgive my impatience,
but I hope you will reveal your plan for me soon.
I can't shake the feeling that you must have saved me for something greater than this."
Something. Greater. Than this.
How many of us have wondered about our purpose or the point of bad things happening to us?
What is the reason for all the pain and suffering,
whether it's personal or something we observe in the world around us?
For a lot of people, what helps them deal with this is the support of
friends and family, their connection to other people.
But what happens when someone is lonely and isolated when trying to deal with pain and trauma?
THAT is the story and perspective of "Saint Maud" - a woman who initially finds comfort in religion,
but is slowly drifting further away from reality
by remaining alone in her bubble, and not seeking outside help.
Loneliness, isolation, and our very human need to make sense of things are at the core of this film.
And with that is the idea that pain somehow elevates you,
that suffering must carry meaning. "Saint Maud" takes a look at the toxic effects of loneliness,
combined with a self-perpetuating belief system.
It's almost surprising to hear that "Saint Maud" is a feature film debut for the writer-director
Rose Glass - her vision for the story is so clear, her character study shows so much in just
84 minutes of the film's runtime, and her use of ambiguity is perfectly balanced with reality.
On that note, the film actually offers more answers than it might initially seem.
If you're paying attention, and if you're willing to put
it all together - there really isn't that much left for us to question.
At this point I'm going to get into some heavy spoilers,
so if you haven't seen the film yet - here are some final, non-spoiler thoughts.
"Saint Maud" is the type of A24 psychological horror so many of us love. It's haunting,
stylish, disturbing, thought-provoking, and mysteriously ambiguous,
though it provides a lot of the answers to those who are paying close attention.
It's a film with plenty of symbolism, if THAT is something you're interested in looking for,
but everyone can appreciate its beautiful, moody visuals, and the atmospheric score
that completes the overall effect. Not to forget the fantastic lead performance from Morfydd Clark!
For me, it's a film I knew I was going to enjoy just within the first few minutes of watching it,
based on the tone and the vibe it was giving off. But by the end I really grew to love it,
and I'm already thinking about watching it again.
If your taste in horror is similar to mine - you absolutely have to watch it, if you haven't yet.
For me, this is a very confident 9 out of 10, and a very strong and impressive feature film debut
from the writer-director Rose Glass. I cannot wait to see what other stories she has to tell us!
And with that let's get back to the film discussion, but now with major spoilers.
Seriously, I'm actually going to mention the final scene of the film. This is your last warning.
Throughout the movie we often question reality. Most of what we see comes from
Maud's perspective - it's her very subjective point of view, and between her take on religion,
her occasional self-inflicted pain, and what the film's creator describes as "godgasms"
it's easy to suspect Maud is an unreliable narrator.
However, as with any film that uses its ambiguity well,
there are points at which we start wondering if her perspective is actually something real.
Maybe there IS something to this? Maybe she has some sort of gift
or some special connection to the Divine?
In a few interviews Rose Glass even mentions the parallels between Maud and Joan of Arc,
with some of her other influences including films such as "Repulsion" and "Rosemary's Baby".
But the influence she brings up that really stands out to me
is "Taxi Driver". While trying to explain the film to execs, Rose said:
"Try imagining if Travis Bickle was a young Catholic woman living in an English seaside town."
Maud not only echoes Travis's loneliness and isolation,
but also is dealing with trauma, becomes obsessed with the idea of cleansing and purifying,
and grows progressively more unhinged as the film goes on.
I love the choice to make her have a completely different life
before her conversion! This makes for such a more interesting conversation about her character.
Had she been religious and traditionally "pure" her whole life, the story could have
easily been dismissed as yet another film about
the dangers of religious fanaticism, which is something we have seen so many times.
Instead, Maud is someone who uses religion as a coping mechanism for her issues,
and she interprets it in ways that help her make sense of her physical and mental state. It's a
vicious circle of her encouraging herself to stay on the path that she has chosen,
because the voice in her head tells her she knows in her heart what she should do.
Speaking of the voice in her head, one of my favorite things that I've learned about this film
is that in the scene where we hear this supposedly Divine voice speak to her, the actress's own voice
is used after significantly lowering it in pitch, and on top of that the voice is speaking Welsh.
If that's not a reality check on the fact that it's all in her head, then I don't know what is.
Although, of course, the ultimate reality check are the final shots of the film.
The purifying fire that's meant to ascend Maud to the angels,
which is exactly what's happening from her perspective, complete
with angel wings and onlookers kneeling in awe... Until we snap back to reality
with the absolutely horrific images of a woman on fire, solidifying what's real and what's imagined.
I am normally someone who prefers a level of ambiguity when it comes to endings. I just find
open endings more interesting because there is something there to think about and to interpret.
But in this case I think that final answer to our questions from the film and its writer-director
is just what the film needs, and it is perfectly timed.
So, how DO we make sense of loneliness and of feeling isolated in a world
where everyone is constantly connected?
When we ARE alone, how do we deal with pain? Does our suffering have a purpose?
Maud has found answers to these burning questions, but what if instead someone
reached out to her before she completely disconnected from reality and it was too late?
What if she wasn't alienated and ridiculed?
The few times when we see her happy are the times she experiences connection,
she feels important. And in her case she finds happiness in connecting with something she feels
is bigger than her, bigger than her loneliness and the PTSD after failing to save a patient.
She believes she can redeem herself by saving a soul.
The real tragedy and horror of "Saint Maud" is that nobody bothered to save her.
Thank you guys so much for watching this video! I, as you can tell,
adored the film, and it is definitely going to be a favorite of the year for me for a while.
I would love to know what you thought of the film so let me know in the comments below,
as always would love to discuss it with you.
Did you find it more ambiguous than I did? Did you feel like the answers
are still leaving a lot of room for interpretation? I know some people
felt it was still open to discussion, so I would love to know what you thought.
As always, a special thank you to all of my Patrons who are supporting me on Patreon,
with an extra special thank you to the Patrons whose names are on the screen right now. But
of course, I appreciate every single one of you for making it to the end of this video.
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