The Liberation review - Carrie Coon joins all-female cult in unsettling drama

Key Points:

• Oscar-winning writer-director Guy Nattiv's film The Liberation is a fictionalized drama inspired by his grandmother's real-life experience of joining a cult and never returning, serving as a personal exploration of cult dynamics.
• The film stars Carrie Coon in a rare leading role as Rita, a 1980s New Jersey mother and Holocaust survivor who becomes gradually groomed by a charismatic cult leader, portrayed by Lily James.
• Unlike sensationalist cult portrayals, The Liberation opts for a slow-burn, thoughtful approach that delves into the psychological manipulation and narcissism of cult leaders, while highlighting themes still relevant today such as distrust of modern medicine.
• The narrative shifts between Rita’s induction into the cult and her daughters’ later search for her, though the timeline-switching is noted as somewhat inconsequential and the latter part of the film falls into more conventional cult thriller tropes.
• Carrie Coon’s performance is praised for its depth and fragility, making Rita a haunting and complex character, while the film’s grim real-life epilogue leaves a lasting impact beyond its somewhat uneven final act.