Saint Maud
Saint Maud | |
---|---|
Directed by | Rose Glass |
Written by | Rose Glass |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Ben Fordesman |
Edited by | Mark Towns |
Music by | Adam Janota Bzowski |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | StudioCanal |
Release dates |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | $2.5 million[1] |
Box office | $1.6 million[2][3] |
Saint Maud is a 2019 British psychological horror film written and directed by Rose Glass in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Morfydd Clark as a religious private carer who becomes dangerously fixated with saving the soul of her patient. Jennifer Ehle, Lily Frazer, Lily Knight, Marcus Hutton, Turlough Convery and Rosie Sansom appear in supporting roles.
Saint Maud premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2019, and was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2020 by StudioCanal. It received critical acclaim, with particular praise for Glass' direction and screenplay, the performances of Clark and Ehle, and Fordesman's cinematography. At the 74th British Academy Film Awards, Glass was nominated for Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. The film earned a record seventeen nominations at the British Independent Film Awards 2020 and won two, Best Cinematography for Fordesman and the Douglas Hickox Award for Glass.[4][5]
Plot
A nurse named Katie fails to save the life of a patient in her care, despite attempting CPR.
Some time later, Katie, now referring to herself as Maud, has become a devout
Maud becomes suspicious of Amanda's lesbian companion Carol, who visits regularly and with whom Amanda has sex. She implores Carol to stop visiting because she believes Amanda's soul is in jeopardy due to distractions of the flesh. Carol is incensed by this, accusing Maud of
Believing that God has rejected her, Maud visits a pub to find companionship but is rejected by most of the people she meets. She goes home with a man and during sex suffers flashbacks of the death of her patient and her attempts at CPR, which causes her to stop. The man feigns sympathy but proceeds to rape Maud,[6] who appears to dissociate. As she is leaving, he taunts her by revealing that he remembers her hooking up with a friend of his during her hedonic past.
While out walking, she encounters Amanda's new nurse and storms off when she realizes that her replacement enjoys a good relationship with Amanda. In her decrepit apartment, Maud begs for a sign from God who appears to tell her to be ready for an act that will demonstrate her faith. Repentant of her actions, Maud assembles a spugna for her right foot to practice the mortification of the flesh.
That night, Maud, dressed in a makeshift robe and wearing rosary beads, enters Amanda's house after the care nurse leaves. She finds Amanda in bed, weakened. Amanda asks forgiveness for mocking her faith, and Maud joyously reminds her of the time they experienced God's presence. Amanda reveals that she feigned the experience and that she believes God is not real. Maud recoils in horror as a now-demonic Amanda hurls her across the room and mocks her for needing to prove her faith. In a delirious frenzy, Maud stabs Amanda to death with a pair of scissors.
In the morning, Maud wanders onto a beach and douses herself with acetone before horrified onlookers. She utters her last words in Welsh—"Glory to God"—as she self-immolates. In her last moments, angel wings appear upon her and the onlookers kneel in awe as Maud looks up to the sky glowing with grace. The scene then smash-cuts for a split second to the reality of Maud being burned alive and screaming in agony.
Cast
- Morfydd Clark as Katie/Maud
- Jennifer Ehle as Amanda Köhl
- Lily Frazer as Carol
- Lily Knight as Joy
- Marcus Hutton as Richard
- Turlough Convery as Christian
- Rosie Sansom as Ester
- Carl Prekopp as Homeless Pat
- Noa Bodner as Hilary
- Takatsuna Mukai as Hiro
- Brian Jackson as a drummer
Production
The film was developed by Escape Plan Productions with funding from Film4 Productions and the British Film Institute. In November 2018, it was announced Clark and Ehle had joined the cast of the film, with Rose Glass directing from her own screenplay. Principal photography began that same month in North London and Scarborough, and lasted for five weeks.[7]
Release
Saint Maud had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2019.[8][9] Shortly afterwards, A24 and StudioCanal acquired US and UK distribution rights to the film.[10][11] It also screened at Fantastic Fest on 19 September 2019,[12] and the BFI London Film Festival on 5 October 2019.[13] The film went on to receive a Special Commendation in the Official Competition section of the London Film Festival, with the jury president, Wash Westmoreland, saying, "This dazzling directorial debut marks the emergence of a powerful new voice in British cinema."[14]
It was originally scheduled to be released in the United States on 10 April 2020,
Reception
Critical response
On the
Director
Film reviewer Josh Larsen of
It's interesting to me that aside from some of her basic devotional habits, we learn little about Maud's faith. If she was raised in the church, we have no hint of it. If she's acting out of a zealous, recent conversion, those details are left vague. I think this disinterest in the nature of Maud's faith is a fault of the film, which could be accused of exploiting both religion and mental illness for ghastly thrills.[29]
Film critic Mark Kermode listed it as his favourite film of 2020, calling it an "electrifying debut".[30]
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | 41st London Film Critics' Circle Awards | Film of the Year | Saint Maud | Nominated |
Director of the Year | Rose Glass | Nominated | ||
Actress of the Year | Morfydd Clark | Nominated | ||
Supporting Actress of the Year | Jennifer Ehle | Nominated | ||
Screenwriter of the Year | Rose Glass | Nominated | ||
British/Irish Film of the Year | Saint Maud | Won | ||
British/Irish Actress of the Year | Morfydd Clark | Won | ||
Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker of the Year | Rose Glass | Won | ||
23rd British Independent Film Awards | Best British Independent Film | Rose Glass, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman | Nominated | |
Best Director | Rose Glass | Nominated | ||
Best Actress | Morfydd Clark | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Ehle | Nominated | ||
Best Screenplay | Rose Glass | Nominated | ||
The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) | Won | |||
Best Debut Screenwriter | Nominated | |||
Breakthrough Producer | Oliver Kassman | Nominated | ||
Best Casting | Kharmel Cochrane | Nominated | ||
Best Cinematography | Ben Fordesman | Won | ||
Best Costume Design | Tina Kalivas | Nominated | ||
Best Editing | Mark Towns | Nominated | ||
Best Effects | Scott MacIntyre, Baris Kareli, Kristyan Mallett | Nominated | ||
Best Make-Up & Hair Design | Jacquetta Levon | Nominated | ||
Best Music | Adam Janota Bzowski | Nominated | ||
Best Production Design | Paulina Rzeszowska | Nominated | ||
Best Sound | Paul Davies, Simon Farmer, Andrew Stirk | Nominated | ||
74th British Academy Film Awards | Outstanding British Film | Rose Glass, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman | Nominated | |
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer | Rose Glass, Oliver Kassman | Nominated | ||
30th British Academy Cymru Awards | Best Actress | Morfydd Clark | Won | |
2022 | 24th Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Best First Feature | Saint Maud | Won |
Best Director | Rose Glass | Nominated | ||
Best Lead Performance | Morfydd Clark | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Performance | Jennifer Ehle | Nominated | ||
Best Screenplay | Rose Glass | Nominated |
References
- ^ "Rose Glass talks 'Love Lies Bleeding', casting Kristen Stewart and working with a much bigger budget".
- ^ "Saint Maud". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ "Saint Maud". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Pulver, Andrew (9 December 2020). "Saint Maud leads British independent film award nominations". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- Screen Daily. Archivedfrom the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ "'Saint Maud' Examines a Crisis of Faith Through Unmitigated Horror". 19 February 2021.
- ^ "Rose Glass' Saint Maud starring Morfydd Clark & Jennifer Ehle starts shooting" (Press release). Channel 4. 19 November 2018. Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ "Saint Maud". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 27 September 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ Erbland, Kate (8 August 2019). "TIFF 2019 Announces Docs and Midnight Madness Slates, With Films From Alex Gibney and Takashi Miike". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (16 September 2019). "A24 Picks Up TIFF Midnight Madness Pic 'Saint Maud'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (20 September 2019). "Toronto Hit 'Saint Maud' Closes UK & France Deals For Protagonist". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
- ^ "Saint Maud". Fantastic Fest. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ "Saint Maud". BFI London Film Festival. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ "Monos, Atlantics and White Riot among prize winners at LFF 2019". What's Worth Seeing. 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (17 December 2019). "'Saint Maud' Trailer: A24's Latest Horror Evokes 'The Exorcist,' 'Carrie,' and 'Under the Skin'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "Saint Maud". Launching Films. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Waddington, Liam (26 March 2020). "A24's new horror film Saint Maud has been pulled from April release". Flickering Myth.
- ^ Exhibitor Relations Co. [@ERCboxoffice] (24 March 2020). "A24's SAINT MAUD moves away from an April 10 wide release...and now rattles its chains on the dreaded date" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Miska, Brad (16 June 2020). "MOVIESRejoice! A24's 'Saint Maud' Brings Horror Back to Theaters on July 17th". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ "Saint Maud". A24. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ Travis, Ben (9 September 2020). "Saint Maud – Exclusive Artwork For Rose Glass's Must-See Horror". Empire. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Squires, John (2 December 2020). "A24's 'Saint Maud' is Coming to UK DVD and Blu-ray in February 2021; Still No US Release Date". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (12 January 2021). "As 'Saint Maud' Builds Awards Season Heat, A24 Pic Will Hit Theaters At End Of Month & Scores Big Epix Deal". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Saint Maud". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- Fandom, Inc. Archivedfrom the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ "Saint Maud Director Rose Glass wins £50,000 film bursary". What's Worth Seeing. 1 October 2019. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- ^ Rife, Katie (2 October 2019). "Celebrated Auteurs, Freddy Krueger Drag, and Exploding Eyeballs: The Best of Fantastic Fest 2019". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "Saint Maud Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
- ^ Think Christian. Archivedfrom the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
- ^ Kermode, Mark (26 December 2020). "Film: Mark Kermode's 10 best of 2020". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
External links
- Saint Maud at IMDb
- Saint Maud at the better source needed]