Saint Maud - Review : A Gorgeously Dark Horror film with Spine-Chilling experience!!!

Saint Maud is a horror film directed by Rose Glass and stars Morfydd Clark in the title role along with Jennifer Ehle, Lily Knight, and Lily Frazer in supporting roles. It is now available on Digital and Blu-ray from 1st February 2021

Maud (Morfydd Clark), a catholic, works as a private carer and she gets a job to take care of Amanda Köhl (Jennifer Ehle), a 49-year-old suffering from stage four Lymphoma of the spinal cord. Now restricted with a wheelchair, Amanda used to be a dancer and a choreographer. Maud strongly believes in God and thinks that God has assigned her to save Amanda's soul. Amanda starts to call her Saint but she mocks her and religious beliefs at her birthday party to which Maud slaps her. Out of the job, thinking God has left her, she starts hooking up with random guys, and she has some flashbacks about the patient who died in her care. So is Maud's beliefs are strong enough to save an atheist Amanda's life? 

Written by Rose Glass, Saint Maud raise questions about whether God is real or not? That's another topic where experts could debate for days. But Glass tried to share her vision through a messed up nurse, Maud or Katie, and her faith in power she's always shown asking the purpose of her life. Maud is a beautifully written character, a nurse who lost a patient in her care, starts to grow her faith towards God and when she meets Amanda, she decides that she will save her dying soul. 

She and Amanda's bond appears quite natural and creepy too. Maud's faith becomes bloodier and spookier as the movie progress and never fails to shocks you. The connection built based on guilt and loneliness gives a soul-stirring and disturbing viewing experience to the audiences as Glass knows what she wants to show to make the audiences feel uneasy. The film smoothly built its atmosphere of darkness and wickedness from the first frame. 

And it's doesn't lose its effect, not for a single second. The boiling soup has never looked so creepy. The last 10 minutes is totally worth it, it's shocking and spine-chilling. And it might upset some from what it wants to say or convey from the film. Rose Glass is definitely the one to see in the future and her work is somewhat close to Ari Aster's works, it punches you hard in your gut. It is not a masterpiece, and yes it is not for everybody but its slow-growing nature and powerful visuals make this one of the terrific horror films of recent times for sure. 

Maud could be considered as Morfydd Clark's pathbreaking role. She is extraordinary in every frame, her expressions and her nuances are just so pitch-perfect. She brings the insanity of Maud convincingly in such a controlled manner. Jennifer Ehle as Amanda Köhl delivers what was needed by her character. She is strict and bossy and she did an amazing job in portraying that. Lily Knight as Joy and Lily Frazer as Carol also lent good support.

The cinematography by Ben Fordesman is outstanding. The film is bizarre and so is the camera work here. With close-up shots, upside-down shots, the eeriness perfectly comes out watching the film. The production design by Paulina Rzeszowska is spot on. The music by Adam Janota Bzowski lifts the impact and the sound design is also effective. The editing by Mark Towns is good. 

Saint Maud is not your usual horror film. Rose Glass creates a dark and unholy world of Maud and her faith to give a spine chilling experience. Despite it is slow-paced, it'll not bother you as you get invested in the characters, especially Maud. Is she really going mad or does she have made any connection with God? The climax is mind-blowing and the theory of showing little and leaving most of it on viewers' minds here works in the favor of the film. Morfydd Clark is breathtaking and Rose Glass is someone to see in the future. It's a gorgeously made Horror film. Don't skip it!!!

Rating:- 4/5

Now on Demand and Blu-ray.


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