Saint Maud is a 2021 psychological horror thriller about a nurse who strongly believes that she must save the soul of her ill patient.
A24 is an indie company known for its amazing lineup of horror movies such as The Witch and Hereditary. And now, we finally get to see their latest title Saint Maud! It’s about time! Written and directed by Rose Glass in her feature debut, it’s a brilliant feature that makes her a filmmaker to watch as she clearly showcases her talent and passion for genre cinema. It’s definitely one of those titles that you must see in order to believe the critical acclaim that it highly deserves. It certainly lives up to the hype, and it’s one of the best films you will ever see.
Saint Maud is admittedly not an easy movie to explain, which is actually a great way to show it’s a premise with some form of complexity. Religion is absolutely a big part of it. Basically, Maud (played remarkably by Morfydd Clark) is a nurse whose life is filled with faith and trauma. She has been given the task to look after an ill patient named Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), while also strongly believing that she is the one who will save her soul. It truly is a magnificent introduction to Glass as a director, and she’s now a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
From the get-go, you can just immediately feel the tone and atmosphere. For a film dealing with some unique themes, it’s important that those two aspects are properly well-executed. Glass’ screenplay is so profound with its ideas that you’re also invested to learn more. Clark is phenomenal in the lead role. She is outstanding as Maud, and you understand the personal struggle that she’s going through. The amount of depth she brings to her performance is incredible, while also seeing the main protagonist’s evolution as the movie goes on. She’s a flawed human being, which is something they show very well. Since it mostly focuses on Maud, most of the supporting characters except Amanda are kind of left in the background with not a lot of development.
It’s important to mention that Saint Maud isn’t really a straight-up horror flick. It does have psychological thriller and horror elements, but it’s more of a captivating character piece. You can even say it’s a drama for the majority of the runtime. That being said, the last act will leave you speechless. Without spoiling anything, the ending will stay in your head, especially the last shot. Ben Fordesman’s work as the cinematographer is top-notch, and he’s unquestionably another important part of making it an unnerving cinematic experience.
Saint Maud is an astounding film. It’s not only a magnificent and impressive directorial debut from Rose Glass, but it’s also a compelling story with an unsettling tone and atmosphere. It’s a fantastic work of art with some creepy horror and psychological thriller elements, which makes it a stunning piece of genre cinema.