Saint Maud (2019)

Directed by: Rose Glass | 84 minutes | drama, horror | Actors: Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle, Lily Knight, Lily Frazer, Turlough Convery, Rosie Sansom, Marcus Hutton, Carl Prekopp, Noa Bodner, Takatsuna Mukai, Jel Djelal, Joanna Richardson

The young nurse Maud is appointed as the private caretaker of the terminally ill Amanda, a former top dancer whose Gothic-style villa looks down on the British seaside resort of Scarborough from a hillside. The God-fearing Maud not only takes great care of her physical duties, but also tries to set herself up as the savior of Amanda’s tormented and sometimes licentious soul. However, as the mission progresses, the burden of loneliness weighs more and more on Maud’s mood and mental health.

Possession of god or the devil is a theme that regularly returns in horror films. In ‘Saint Maud’, however, director Rose Glass manages to give an original, intriguing and quite disturbing twist to the theme of religious madness. Main character Maud is firmly convinced that God has special plans for her. This translates into a Catholic asceticism that takes extreme forms. Praying with her knees in hard corn kernels and walking on nails are just a few of the trials she puts on herself to stay in the favor of the lord. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that this extreme piety is a shield that Maud puts up to protect her mind from the extreme loneliness and childhood traumas that eat away at her.

‘Saint Maud’ is not your typical horror film. The film works slowly and thoughtfully towards the denouement, a disturbing final act that leaves the viewer with a punch in the stomach. But across the board, this at times fascinating work is a dark character study of a young woman who continuously balances on the abyss of the burning volcano of total madness. Glass shows especially beautifully how religious delusions can distort reality. Both Morfydd Clark and Jennifer Ehle steal the show, translating the difficult, sometimes complex relationship between Maud and Amanda into compelling character portraits. The macabre soundtrack adds an extra dimension to this dark narrative.

‘Saint Maud’ doesn’t need buckets of blood or supernatural creatures to be creepy. The horror element here mainly has a psychological dimension and lies in the devastating influence of all-consuming loneliness and unresolved traumas on the human mind. The film is a lingering ‘slow burner’, a story that takes a while to take hold and that sometimes puts the viewer’s patience to the test, but in the end calmly and skillfully works towards a macabre climax that lingers for a while. A refreshing print that does a great job of avoiding most of the standard genre clichés.