Saint Maud

I can see how some people could have been disappointed in this movie if they were waiting for it to come out. I thought this movie was pretty neat, however, not climactic enough to justify any anticipation. I didn't wait for this movie at all! I just found it on Prime one day and gave it a whirl. This is my second watch of the movie, and I like it! One of the main reasons I like this movie is because of Maud's character. She is not only socially reclusive, but a religious zealot. That can be a deadly combo (as depicted in the film). You can see that she holds on to any social interaction she has and even develops some sort of romantic feels for her much older patient just because it's the only close interaction/physical touch she is receiving. This movie does a great job of just showing how Maud views things in her very sheltered and secluded life. It makes sense why she leaned into religion so much. She even gets a weird sexual experience with "God" from time to time. It makes you feel bad for Maud's character because it is so evident that Maud needs religion to feel significant. It also shows that she is a bit mentally ill. I feel like the whole movie following how Maud tries to be of this world, but she refuses to view herself as just another worldly being as she truly believes the has been chosen by God (hence the name of the movie title). Now, what I really like about this movie is how it shows the interwovenness of mental illness and religious zealous. We see that Maud has very little social life and only partakes in activities that revolve around self-punishment or penance. Even when she tries to have a social life, she does it so awkwardly (like literally giving a rando a handy). The truth is that she doesn't quite fit in socially because she isn't used to it and hasn't really tried to immerse herself naturally. The end (in my interpretation) is her mental illness telling her to kill herself (not God). Her mind justifies her suicide as a holy act and the world will fall to their knees, but she literally just sets herself on fire in on the beach in front of a bunch of strangers. It makes you wonder if any religious icon truly had visions or heard messages or if they were just severely mentally ill. I don't know what is out there so I cannot say what the truth is. 

IMDb rating: 6.6 out of 10 stars

My rating: 7.0 out of 10 stars