Saint Maud -- A Character Study on Religiosity and Isolation
Name: Saint Maud
Directed By: Rose Glass
Subgenre: Psychological
Series: Spooktober 2021 entry #10; review #103
Review: Saint Maud is one of the newer (at least of this publication) psychological horror films distributed by A24. If that production company sounds vaguely familiar to you (assuming you're not already a die-hard fan), they're responsible for films like The Witch, Hereditary, Midsommar, The Lighthouse, Climax, among a myriad of others. Regardless of your opinion on them and the films they produce and distribute--and I'll share my opinion in a moment--you can't deny the singular impact that they've had in spurring on the recent Renaissance in the horror genre. Now, if you're familiar with the above films, you're also likely familiar with the style of films they fairly routinely put out, namely deeply thematic, slow-burning horror films that take a bit of investment on the part of the viewer. As such, their films buck the standardized Hollywood trend of trying to pad their horror films with creeps and scares throughout their run-time to make sure audiences stay interested. There aren't many jump-scares in these films, that's for sure. Saint Maud is another such entry into A24's fairly sprawling catalogue. As such, it's a layered character study on its titular dame, Maud, as she works as a hospice nurse following being fired from her previous nursing gig and subsequent suicide attempt. Maud survived that attempt, and she likens that to a miracle by God, and she's been deeply devoted to the faith ever since. We follow Maud in her interactions with her new patient, a woman dying of cancer: Maud can't save her life, but she can save the woman's soul. What follows is a descent into religiously-themed delusions that grow more dangerous over time until Maud concludes her journey into sainthood the old fashioned way. I mentioned the film being a character study, and that's largely what it is: a significant portion of the film's length is devoted to watching Maud in her daily life as she wrestles with obsessive devotion, suppressed sexuality, and isolation and loneliness. As such, it's a phenomenal look into the mind of someone who has replaced trauma with religious fervor and how that Band-Aid doesn't hold closed the scars of mental and emotional trauma forever. The horror of the film, besides the self-imposed isolation and the loneliness that it brings, largely happens in the last 10-15 minutes when Maud's delusions (or faith, depending on how you look at it) finally reach their climactic end. It's a jarring conclusion given the extremely tame (if not emotionally desolate) atmosphere of the rest of the film. However, the film ends with a split-second frame that mostly quashes any ambiguity left in the tale. It won't leave you wondering about Maud's fate, though the tragedy of it all may leave you contemplating how things could have gotten to that point in the first place. Problem is, Saint Maud is also boring. God, so painfully boring. The ending will rip you back into your seat and force you to pay attention, but most of the film is about a woman being lonely and religious with all the entertainment value those activities bring. No, I didn't need jump scares to keep me invested in the film, but I wanted something to break up the droning monotony (just like Maud, I'd wager). Saint Maud is a masterfully shot and acted film, but its message isn't exactly all that groundbreaking; while the payoff is something worth seeing, it takes quite a bit to get there. I appreciate the film for what the story and highlighting the complexities of mental health, spirituality, and well-being, but I was pretty far from entertained, which is fairly par for the course with me and A24 films: they're great movies that don't resonate with me, and that's okay. Maybe you'll enjoy it more than me! Let me know in the comments below!
Overall Score: 2.5 out of 5 Chads celebrating their new sainthood. Did Saint Maud scare you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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