The film raises awareness of cult activities of such violent acts that could occur, which is the basis for the film. I personally thought that there was a lack of character development on the main character, Martha. Why she went to the cult in the first place, where she came from, how long had she been there? These questions are answered somewhat vaguely in the text and you have to be paying close attention to understand and catch the answers. The first question, that doesn't seem to be addressed at all in the film, which is then left to the audience second guessing and trying to work out what they are watching and why it’s all happening. We are told that Martha and Lucy’s, sisters in the film, parents died earlier on, which could then give reason to Martha’s sudden disappearance and her fragility when it came to her mental state.
I found that there was more being said about how there’s ‘Something wrong with her’, than something being done about it. Yes, I know they did this to show the audience the odd nature that she had adapted to whilst living with the cult and thinking that certain things were alright to do like climbing into bed whilst her sister and brother in law were making love. But in a way it didn’t seem necessary, where in reality they would get her some help having realised that there is something wrong with her.
Martha’s paranoia in the film; seeing the cult members everywhere and seeing the black Land Rover, gives way to the thought that she could be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, which is neither supported or proved in any part of the film, which I found highly irritating as it could’ve been something to develop and work into. The title was one thing that also led me to believe that it could have something to do with a split personality disorder, where she is acting like these three different people and is now confused as to who she is.
As Martha can’t tell the difference between her dreams and reality, the audience is therefore sucked into the vortex of uncertainty and cannot work out what’s real or what’s in her head. It makes an interesting watch in a way but it does become unidentifiably confusing, and I’ve seen and understood ‘Inception’!
What sets the film apart from other in the psychological thriller genre is that it shows the realistic events which occur after traumatic events. The films lack of explanation leaves it open to interpretation. Which I personally didn’t enjoy but that’s pretty much the plain point of the film. We as viewers are told too much in films and told what to think, when such films such as this one, make us think, therefore we don’t take it very well, as I personally didn’t. But, I can’t fault it completely for a personal distaste, as the film was very well acted and it had a good plot to it, even though the audience thought up most of that plot themselves.
The film leaves much to audience speculation and leaves it to us to work out why she is acting in such a way, and most importantly if she has some kind of mental illness.
