Review of Saint Maud
midlandsmovies • November 13, 2020
Saint Maud (2020) Dir. Rose Glass
2020 has been devastating for cinema, with the high-ticket blockbusters postponed and theatres having to shut their doors for most of the year. There has been an upside to the reduced schedule, however, and that is that some of the smaller features have had a chance to shine.
One of these is undoubtedly Rose Glass’ debut feature Saint Maud. While psychological, emotive horror has been very much in vogue recently, it would be easy for this nasty little gem to be buried in a regular schedule. Luckily, audiences are having the chance to discover Saint Maud, with its stunning lead performance by Morfydd Clark.
Clark plays Maud, a young carer who has recently converted to Catholicism and brings an intense, pious attitude to her work. Tasked with providing palliative care to former dancer Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), Maud convinces herself that this not simply a case of helping the body but also saving a lost soul.
Glass’ script shines here, examining the dangers of unquestioning devotion on a person’s mental health, and the ravaging effects of terminal illness. Amanda is often cruel to Maud, mocking her faith, yet we also see the embarrassment of a talented, active woman struck down and forced to rely on others. In the same way, Maud’s past is only hinted at, but we can see the struggles of her faith, how it constantly bruised and on the verge of slipping.
The film swerves between grounded and otherworldly sequences, and these more fantastical parts are often gruelling, grotesque moments. Maud’s self-abuse as way of penance makes for uncomfortable viewing (especially that scene with her trainers) and the film gathers pace as she becomes more disconnected from the real world.
There’s an argument that Glass overeggs the pudding somewhat with the climax. An unnecessary jump scare certainly risks taking you out of the film, but the ultimate moments feel like a fitting conclusion to what has come before. With Saint Maud, Glass has steamrolled into the conversation as one of our finest horror directors.
Matthew Tilt
Twitter @Matthew_Tilt
Up! (1976) Dir. Russ Meyer Well, bi-Adolf Hitler BDSM is not something (a) I thought I’d ever see 5 minutes into a movie and (b) ever expected to write in my lifetime to be fair but this spicy start is pretty standard for the work of exploitation filmmaker Russ Meyer. Up! is a kind of r*pe-revenge softcore p*rn film (there’s gonna be a fair bit of self-censorship in this review so apologies in advance), the type Meyer is known for. I’d describe the plot in more detail but it’s mostly a convoluted and incoherent mess of double-crossing, murder, violence and lots and lots of humping. In short, a man called Adolph gets murdered and a woman investigates (kinda) the circumstances but as she does so, a group of locals blackmail, attack and screw each other with the murder mystery barely mentioned throughout. With so little narrative, it could be argued if it’s essentially p*rn? To be fair, not far off. It’s about extreme as you can go without simply making a s*x film. Is that a…no, it’s a belly button hole. Bookending the film (and also seen at various points throughout) is a Greek Chorus - simply a busty fully nude woman of course - who delivers dialogue like “Pummelling the scrotum with joyous supplication” and other such poeticisms. This artistic flourish is mostly pointless - the actress herself saying the words were tough to learn because it was utter nonsense. On a technical level, the editing is surprisingly well done and the 4k image is frankly fantastic. Someone somewhere must be putting together a post-modern take about the beautiful landscapes and cinematography of Meyer’s * ahem * output. But it definitely does have a kitsch artistry. It has certainly provided plenty of cinematic influence though. Elements of Tarantino grindhouse sensibilities are on show - Meyers likes bosoms as much as Quents likes feet - and there’s even a leather gimp early on. I can also see how its had an impact on Ti West X’s with a focus on sexuality and the body as well, more obviously, Anna Biller’s feminist-twist The Love Witch (2016). Suffice to say it’s not for the weak of heart. I think in this day and age you can’t go into this completely blind to its style, period and context though. It's an X-rated Carry On style that was bad taste then and it’s bad taste now. It revels in its sleaziness without a single hint of shame or apology. Simply saying 'deal with it'. The main negative though is the absence of plot - if the film can even be looked at like that - which is barely present. This is a shame as the whole thing could do with a bit more coherence rather than endless shagging. But it’s far from titillation, it’s mostly clowning - albeit a very adult version of it. More saucy than sexy. Trying to review this through modern sensibilities is almost impossible. It’s as offensive can be from the first scene through to the final credits - heck even this 4k menu is simply one of the film's many s*x scenes. But there are some progressive themes as it doesn’t shy from confronting sexual freedom, bisexuality, gay sex, BDSM and consensual exploration. There's moments of comedy thrown in and I enjoyed a frankly hilarious 5-minute monologue explaining the culprit’s intentions, which was a ludicrous way to deliver a slasher-style ending. I suppose the main thing about Up! (and Meyers’ work overall) is there’s a sort of love it or loathe it quality about the whole shebang. But it’s so unlike anything being made today - for good or bad - that it’s never anything other than unpredictably fascinating. More explicit than most Meyers films - in fact more than any film - it’s a lewd, rude and crude (s)exploration with a satirical edge and campy enjoyment bouncing from every frame. ★★★ 3 / 5 Michael Sales Severin Films releases Russ Meyers' UP! (1976) and MOTORPSYCHO (1965) on 28 April 2025 in newly restored and scanned 4k with hours of new and archival Special Features https://severinfilms.co.uk/
On the 24th of April, the Midlands Art Centre opened its doors to Gobby Flicks Productions for a night of live comedy. Proceeds were raised towards the production of new short comedy films, directed and written by women.
Ti West’s The House of the Devil makes a wonderful companion piece to his film The Innkeepers. Both maintain the director’s referential approach to horror, incapsulating it in a slow burning 90 minutes that manages to build and maintain tension while cheekily winking to the audience and showing the mechanisms behind the scares.
Read the full list of nominees for the Midlands Movies Awards 2025