This writer is gonna be honest: I see QR codes everywhere but have never once scanned them with my phone. It usually seems like a lot of extra steps for little reward, but it seems Fox Searchlight wants to take the cult drama “Martha Marcy May Marlene” in a viral direction. Over the weekend, the studio unveiled two new trailers accessible once you scanned the giant QR thingies on the new posters for the film. Certainly an interesting marketing move to get people more involved in a film that doesn’t boast any household names, but luckily, those who played along were treated to two different, but strong spots for the film.
Directed by Sean Durkin and led by an already much talked about performance by Elizabeth Olsen, the film centers on a young woman haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia who struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing a cult. The film earned incredible praise out of Sundance earlier this year, played Cannes in May and heads to TIFF next month. This writer wasn’t quite as bowled over as everyone else, however, Olsen’s performance is undoubtedly a star-making turn. Moreover, Durkin’s carefully constructed tone of paranoia and unease is perfectly captured in these two new glimpses at the film.
Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy and John Hawkes co-star in “Martha Marcy May Marlene” which opens on October 21st.
