Saint Maud

Saint Maud is a 2019 British psychological horror film written and directed by Rose Glass in her feature directorial debut. The story follows hospice nurse Maud (portrayed by Morfydd Clark), a recent convert to Roman Catholicism who fears that she may be possessed when she becomes infatuated with a former dancer in her care (Jennifer Ehle).

Saint Maud
Teaser poster with original release date
Directed byRose Glass
Produced by
  • Andrea Cornwell
  • Oliver Kassman
Written byRose Glass
Starring
Music byAdam Janota Bzowski
CinematographyBen Fordesman
Edited byMark Towns
Production
companies
Distributed byStudioCanal UK
Release date
  • 8 September 2019 (2019-09-08) (TIFF)
  • 23 October 2020 (2020-10-23) (United Kingdom)
Running time
83 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Saint Maud had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2019. The film received critical acclaim, who praised Glass' direction, screenplay and Clark's performance, as well as, the atmosphere, cinematography and musical score. It is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on 23 October 2020, by StudioCanal UK and 17 July, by A24.

Premise

The debut film from writer-director Rose Glass, Saint Maud is a chilling and boldly original vision of faith, madness, and salvation in a fallen world. Maud, a newly devout hospice nurse, becomes obsessed with saving her dying patient’s soul — but sinister forces, and her own sinful past, threaten to put an end to her holy calling.

— A24 official website[2]

Cast

Production

The film was developed by Escape Plan Productions with funding from Film4. In November 2018, it was announced Clark and Ehle had joined the cast of the film, with Glass directing from her own screenplay.[3] The film was fully financed by Film4 Productions and the British Film Institute.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2019.[4][5] Shortly after, A24 acquired U.S. and StudioCanal U.K. distribution rights to the film.[6][7] It also screened at Fantastic Fest on 19 September 2019,[8] and the BFI London Film Festival on 5 October 2019.[9] 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.” [10] It was scheduled to be released in the United States on 10 April 2020,[11] and the United Kingdom on 1 May 2020.[12] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the release was officially postponed in late March 2020.[13][14][15] It is scheduled to be released in the United States on 17 July 2020.[16] and in the United Kingdom on 23 October 2020.[17]

Reception

Awarding Glass the IWC film bursary, the director Danny Boyle described Saint Maud as "a genuinely unsettling and intriguing film. Striking, affecting and mordantly funny at times, its confidence evokes the ecstasy of films like Carrie, The Exorcist, and Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin."[18] Katie Rife of The A.V. Club gave the film a grade of "B+", saying that the finale was shocking.[19]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 93% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 8.06/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "A brilliantly unsettling blend of body horror and psychological thriller, Saint Maud marks an impressive debut for writer-director Rose Glass."[20] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21]

References
  1. "Saint Maud". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  2. "Saint Maud". A24. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020.
  3. "Rose Glass' Saint Maud starring Morfydd Clark & Jennifer Ehle starts shooting". Channel 4. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  4. "Saint Maud". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  5. Erbland, Kate (8 August 2019). "TIFF 2019 Announces Docs and Midnight Madness Slates, With Films From Alex Gibney and Takashi Miike". IndieWire. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  6. D'Alessandro, Anthony (16 September 2019). "A24 Picks Up TIFF Midnight Madness Pic 'Saint Maud'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  7. Wiseman, Andreas (20 September 2019). "Toronto Hit 'Saint Maud' Closes UK & France Deals For Protagonist". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  8. "Saint Maud". Fantastic Fest. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  9. "Saint Maud". BFI London Film Festival. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  10. "Monos, Atlantics and White Riot among prize winners at LFF 2019". What's Worth Seeing. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  11. Lattanzio, Ryan (17 December 2019). "'Saint Maud' Trailer: A24's Latest Horror Evokes 'The Exorcist,' 'Carrie,' and 'Under the Skin'". IndieWire. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  12. "Saint Maud". Launching Films. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  13. Waddington, Liam (26 March 2020). "A24's new horror film Saint Maud has been pulled from April release". Flickering Myth.
  14. "A24's SAINT MAUD moves away from an April 10 wide release...and now rattles its chains on the dreaded date". Twitter. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  15. "Here are all the movie releases that have been postponed due to coronavirus". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 15 March 2020.
  16. Miska, Brad (16 June 2020). "MOVIESRejoice! A24's 'Saint Maud' Brings Horror Back to Theaters on July 17th". Bloody-Disgusting.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  17. "Saint Maud". Launching Films. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  18. "Saint Maud Director Rose Glass wins £50,000 film bursary". What's Worth Seeing. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  19. Rife, Katie (2 October 2019). "Celebrated Auteurs, Freddy Krueger Drag, and Exploding Eyeballs: The Best of Fantastic Fest 2019". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  20. "Saint Maud (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  21. "Saint Maud Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
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