Sean Durkin’s directorial debut Martha Marcy May Marlene — a dramatic thriller which tells the story of a woman (Lizzie Olsen) who escapes from a cult in the Catskills and attempts to reconnect with her sister (Sarah Paulson) and brother-in-law (Hugh Dancy) — was one of the buzziest films to come out of Sundance this year, and garnered him a Best Director award. Now those of us who didn’t make it out to Utah can finally see why. Olsen is gut wrenching as broken, confused Martha, who is haunted by flashbacks of her time in Upstate New York; John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone) gives a chilling turn as the cult’s Charles Manson-esque leader. Click through to watch the trailer, and let us know in the comments if you plan on checking this one out.
Martha Marcy May Marlene hits theaters on October 7, 2011.