This film from A24 is currently playing in open cinemas and will be available for rental on streaming platforms February 12th.
As we age or begin to suffer from ill health and disease, it can sometimes become necessary to employ assistance from professionals. The new British psychological horror film Saint Maud deals with such a scenario. While the story may deal with the horrors of religious extremism and mental illness, one thing that makes an immediate impression on viewers is to be sure to do a thorough interview and background check on anyone before they come into your home. Apparently, there are a few unhinged caregivers out there who may pose a danger not only to their employers, but to themselves.
Maud (Morfydd Clark) is a nurse with a mysterious history who lives isolated in a tiny apartment. She takes a new position in palliative care, helping a dancer named Amanda (Jennifer Ehle) who is suffering from stage four lymphoma. As the two get to know each other, it becomes clear that Maud is fervently religious. At first, Amanda enjoys playfully teasing her, but things slowly devolve as the nurse’s behavior becomes even more extreme and viewers discover begin to learn more about her past. Before long, the caregiver decides to exert her own beliefs on the patient. Her own grasp of reality begins to fall apart and the world around her takes on a more surreal slant and the reality of the situation becomes less and less reliable.
This film is character-based and something of a slow-burn, slowly taking viewers into the world of the lead character and allowing them to watch this woman as everything unravels around her. It’s a small film relying solely on mood and performances to get its simple point across… essentially, that religious extremism can alter and negatively influence one’s own perception of the world, causing incredible trauma on the true believer and those whom they are trying to “save”.
To put it bluntly, the idea isn’t all that shocking or radical on its own and it’s pretty clear early on where the story is headed. But it does benefit from a strong lead performance told almost entirely from Maud’s perspective, as well as some eerie visuals that help emphasize the movie’s message. Her obsession is all-consuming and even the images on display soon mirrors her state. From Maud’s disheveled apartment that seems to be cracking apart to her creepy visions, one certainly can see and feel her becoming unglued. So even the end game is clear from the outset, the filmmaker does excel at creating an unsettling atmosphere.
The movie also manages to generate some interest in the story itself by hiding and slowly revealing Maud’s past. Characters who once knew the woman in school tentatively interact with her and you can see by the look in their eyes that they are uncomfortable being in her company. Of course, this does make one wonder how the protagonist has managed to continue gaining employment when she clearly has some serious issues that make others veer away from her, but at least enough of what is occurring is strange enough to keep one wondering just how much is a figment of her own fractured mind.
In the end, you won’t be surprised by what you see, but thanks to the committed performances the movie still works as a mood piece about an obsessed woman on a downward spiral. Saint Maud managed to make an impression. It won’t convert anyone looking for a breezy jump or two at the movies, but the feature will most certainly creep psychological horror movie enthusiasts out with its grim and unrelenting vision.