Written and Directed by Rose Glass
Starring Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle and Lily Knight
Running time: 1 hour and 24 minutes
MPAA rating: R for disturbing and violent content, sexual content and language
In theaters Jan 29, available digitally 2/16

by Rosalie Kicks, Editor-in-Chief, Old Sport

“You must be the loneliest girl I’ve ever seen.”

Growing up with a mother that attended Catholic school for the entirety of her education, I learned that religion, well, it makes people look ridiculous.

Fortunately for me and my brother, we were not subjected to Bibles, church pews and communions. Even without experiencing religious practices on the regular, there were moments in my life in which I still had to succumb to partaking in such tomfoolery. For instance, there were some friends that if you slept at their home on Saturday evening, it was expected Sunday morning you would attend service. This did not sit well with me for multiple reasons. The main point of contention being that, as a child, I often worked at my grandparents’ farmers market after school Wednesday thru Friday and every Saturday. Therefore, Sunday was the only day in which I could sleep in. Secondly, churches are a serious bunch of hypocritical bullshit. Even as a young adult, it was rather clear these places of worship were nothing more than a cult. The evidence is there: mass assimilation, robes and chanting. For me, there really isn’t a specific religious affiliation that does not give me pause or strike fear. All of this backstory brings me to what you came for: Saint Maud.

Rose Glass’s feature debut is a moody and stylish slow burn that left me in awe. With a runtime of a mere eighty four minutes, Glass manages to build tension in such an effective way that, by the time the credits rolled, I found myself in a state of shock. Her story’s focus is Maud (Morfydd Clark), a young homecare nurse that has recently made the acquaintance of God. The film opens with Maud arriving at the lavish home of a former dancer and choreographer, Amanda Kohl (Jennifer Ehle). Suffering from stage four lymphoma cancer, Amanda does not have much time left. In caring for Amanda, Maud learns more about her patient’s lifestyle and it is clear she does not approve. Amanda is a free spirit, a chain smoking pleasure seeker that does not hold a belief in a higher power. This more than concerns Maud, it downright terrifies her. As the two become closer, Maud begins to insinuate herself into Amanda’s life in a somewhat suffocating manner by making decisions without consultation.

Here’s the thing about Maud though, she seems to possibly have an off-color past. There is a scene in which she encounters a friend from her former life and it is realized she may not have always been a saint. For me, this film demonstrates how religion can be downright dangerous. The way in which Maud punishes herself for simply living her life is not only upsetting but quite heartbreaking. It gave me flashbacks to my youth when my mother would be horrified if I were to use a curse word, as if this was a one way ticket to h-e-double hockey sticks. Much like Maud, she was brainwashed. It is hard for me to understand how adults can fear and seek hope from something they have never seen. Ideals based on myth, rather than just simply being a good person in this life. It is kinda like children at the holiday season, misbehaving and thinking saying “I’m sorry” will absolve them from finding coal on Christmas morn from Santa. The same could be said for church-going folk–light a candle, say a Hail Mary or make a confession or set yourself ablaze and everything will be right as rain.