Saint Maud Film Review

I haven't done a film review for some time, and never here on Vocal, but this film screams out for one because I can't stop thinking about it.

I'm really worried this film is going to get lost in the mess that is this year as it comes out on Thursday the 8th October, the very day that Cineworld are closing their doors and who knows if other cinema chains will follow? This film really is made for a big screen though so I recommend seeing it like that if you are able. I saw it last night at the Unlimited preview and I'm still traumatised, in a good way. As the credits rolled I just sat there in the dark attempting to process it.

The talent on display in this film is off the charts. This is director Rose Glass' first feature length film but you wouldn't know. There's skilful choices all through the film; the camera hardly leaves Maud in a series of close-ups so you have no choice but to focus on her, and as she begins to unravel the shots become slanted or even upside-down in places. This technique, combined with the fact that much of the film takes place in a large house that we only see a couple of rooms of, means there's a pervading sense of claustrophobia throughout to keep you tense.

Similarly talented is relative newcomer Morfydd Clark who holds nothing back as the titular Maud. She really brings to the life the complex character who it's hard to warm to as she makes a series of awful decisions but you know she believes she's doing the right thing. In my opinion, it's left very much up to the audience to decide if Maud is actually communing with her God or if she's mentally ill. Although the very last shot made up my mind which way I was leaning, I enjoyed the ambiguity because I think a film is elevated if you can interpret it in multiple ways.

Jennifer Ehle's Amanda is also well-written and complex. She seems to want to have fun while she can, and who can blame her, but she has a cruel streak towards Maud. Of course we're seeing everything through Maud's eyes so maybe this is simply how she interprets Amanda's resistance to her religious conversion.

I know it sounds like a contradiction but I would class it as a slow burn film but there's also a lot packed into its 84 minute runtime, if you see it you'll know what I mean. There's less gore than I expected, probably because it's spread out, but when it's done it's done well. Although horror films have always linked sex and violence there's one particular scene that takes that to a new extreme, it made my toes curl and me and a man behind me both squealed a little. Morfydd Clark also manages to do this incredible thing with her eyes more than once where they go so wide they look like they might fall out.

There's a few moments of comedy, dark or otherwise, from background characters which I think the film needs to break up the atmosphere and tension a little, and give you time to breathe before the relentless finale.

To conclude, in case it wasn't clear already, I adored the film and I can't wait to see what Rose Glass does next. Please support this film, and if it's the last one you're able to see in the cinema for a while it's an excellent one to end on.

10/10 stars