Saint Maud is a religious horror film that examines the title character in depth. When Maud (Morfydd Clark) experiences trauma, she takes on a fervent religious path, leading her to see the pleasure that comes from her devotion to God. But there's an increasing darkness in how far Maud is willing to go to share this magnificent discovery of salvation with an aging former dancer for whom she is now caretaking for professionally.
Maud is a young woman who works as a hospice aid. Looking for a fresh start, she moves into the mansion of her new patient Amanda (Jennifer Ehle) who was once a famous dancer and choreographer but is now suffering from late-stage cancer.
Immediately, the two women are at odds with one another. Maud is a recent convert to Catholicism and is very strict with herself in making sure she follows the most devout routine possible. But Amanda is an atheist and recognizes that her life will soon be over, so she wants to get as much enjoyment from it as possible.
While Maud sees an opportunity to save Amanda's soul by making her see the wrongfulness in her actions and experience the light of God before she goes, Amanda sees Maud as a troubled young woman who needs to lighten up a little bit and enjoy the earthly pleasures of life before they are gone. Both women are stubbornly set in their paths to help one another, while at the same time so set in their ways that they cannot see what the other is trying to offer them.
But something starts to go awry in Maud's programming. Becoming more isolated from other people and inflicting a great deal of punishment on herself, Maud believes that suffering leads to lessons of enlightenment. When she starts to experience some truly phenomenal visions of God in her quest to save Amanda, it's hard to tell whether she's becoming mentally unhinged or receiving God's blessing for all that she's done.
Written and directed by Rose Glass, a newcomer to the silver screen, there is a surprising mastery of the craft in Saint Maud. Especially for a horror film, the characters are filled with depth, with both Maud and Amanda delivering outstanding performances. The added differing sexual natures of both women makes them all the more complex and believable. Glass is very sparing with her details, running a quick film that still goes into great depth on the psyche of her main character.
Whether or not Maud is truly experiencing what she believes she's experiencing is anyone's guess. But when her actions grow darker in fulfilling her purpose of showing Amanda the light, it's easy to see Maud as villainous, even in spite of her own past traumas that would paint her as the innocent victim. Of course, understanding someone's motivation and not thinking they're totally creepy are two very different things.
Saint Maud truly embodies everything good about the horror genre, making sure to craft the scares as a genuine human impulse, both in the deeply unsettling events that occur and the reaction to those things. There is a deep satisfaction in finding the darkness inside of real people, wondering how far they will go and what they are capable of on their own personal journeys to become heroes.