Saint Maud (2019)
Directed By: Rose Glass
Starring: Morfydd Clar, Jennifer Etle, Lily Frazer
Plot Summary: The debut film from writer-director Rose Glass, Saint Maud is a chilling and boldly original vision of faith, madness, and salvation in a fallen world. Maud, a newly devout hospice nurse, becomes obsessed with saving her dying patient’s soul — but sinister forces, and her own sinful past, threaten to put an end to her holy calling.
I know I am terribly late to the party, but get me stiff drink and let’s get into the staggering work that is Saint Maud. The film is currently streaming on Hulu, and I thought it was high time I watched it. Here is my well past hot-take. Whatever you may think about A24, you cannot deny that they give decent budgets to projects that would never ever get a chance to be greenlit elsewhere. Having watched Saint Maud twice now in prep for this review, I admit that each time the film presents something wholly new and unnerving. Glass’s debut is nothing short of a morbid work of art that both challenges and rewards its viewer. It’s clawing and grotesque but, in my opinion not without merits. Its themes and motifs are expertly woven throughout and are as timely as they are haunting. Glass is also good at conjuring tension and, I found myself utterly gripped.
Swedish actor Morfydd Clar gives nothing short of an Oscar worthy performance, and frankly, had this not been horror, she would likely be nominated if not outright won. She is tasked with carrying both the narrative and emotional weight and does it with a breeze that makes it feel effortless. It’s only after multiple viewings when you start to see the layers and nuances in her performance. Though she doesn’t have the flashy role, I’d argue that Jennifer Etle as Amanda the dying patient has harder role. It must be incredibly difficult to play a cancer patient without going full ham. Being a pro, Etle finds that sweet spot of matching Clar’s energy but not taking it too far into caricature.
Saint Maud is a movie that will keep you in a trance and left me in cold sweats by the end. A chilling and moving work that ushers in Rose Glass as a new creative powerhouse.
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Big film nerd and TCM Obsessed. Author of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema from Schiffer Publishing. Resume includes: AMC’s The Bite, Scream Magazine etc. Love all kinds of movies and television and have interviewed a wide range of actors, writers, producers and directors. I currently am a regular co-host on the podcast The Humanoids from the Deep Dive and have a second book in the works from Bear Manor.
