“Saint Maud” is coming. Rose Glass’ film is destined to join the ranks of modern-day horror classics such as “Hereditary,” “The Invisible Man,” “Get Out,” “The Witch,” and “It Follows.”
I saw the film at the Toronto International Film Festival back in 2019. It has already been released in the U.K. (appearing on a boatload of 2020 top ten lists). It was supposed to also be released Stateside last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced A24 to reschedule it. Honestly, I’m kind of surprised it hasn’t been delayed further, considering almost 70% of U.S. theaters are closed, which is why I’m refraining from posting my review for now.
As seen in the trailer, for which I am quoted, this boldly original movie is about Maud, a lonely, and newly devout, hospice nurse who becomes obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient. However, it turns out that the business of saving souls is a complicated one and Maud starts to realize that sinister forces will be inserting themselves into the equation to complicate things for her, messing up the mission she was sent from God.
“Saint Maud” marks the debut for writer-director Glass, it will turn out to, probably, be the best horror movie of the year. The vision on display is staggering. The film stars Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle, Lilly Frazer, Lily Knight, Marcus Hutton, Turlough Convery, and Rosie Sansom
“Saint Maud” will arrive in theaters on January 29th.
The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.