Summary

• Morfydd Clark shines as Galadriel in “The Rings of Power” and proves her versatility and talent in a central role.
• “Saint Maud” showcases Clark’s ability to drive a narrative through intense and powerful character study.
• Clark’s performance in Saint Maud runs parallel to her role as Galadriel, mixing different characters with similar results.

Most people know Morfydd Clark for her impressive portrayal of Galadriel in the first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The Welsh actor cleverly follows in the footsteps of Cate Blanchett in the acclaimed The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and is quickly becoming one of the main reasons to watch the film. Her younger, more ambitious Galadriel sums up the tragedy of the elves in a single character: a good woman who does not realize the danger before her until it is too late. The role is a strong showcase for the actress and promises more great performances in the future.

Clark signaled her suitability for the role a few years earlier in the little-noticed psychological horror film Saint Maudpublished by A24. As opposed to The Rings of Powerit is more of a character study than an ensemble piece, with the actress captivating the screen almost every moment. She is more than up to the challenge, creating an empathetic but deeply damaged protagonist who is a dark reflection of the same qualities she would lend to Galadriel. The film was largely overlooked due to external circumstances surrounding the COVID pandemic, but it reflects A24’s commitment to smart and effective horror. Fans waiting for the second season of The Rings of Power are cordially invited to take a look.

Saint Maud is a spooky horror debut for Morfydd Clark

St.Maud The title character is a live-in nurse who turned to God after an incident in which she was unable to resuscitate one of her patients. She takes a new job in the English seaside town where she lives, working for a retired dancer named Amanda, who is in the final stages of lymphoma. The woman is decadent and wealthy, but embittered by her fate and unconvinced that there is an afterlife. Maud concludes that God wants her to save Amanda’s soul, and that Amanda is open to Christian salvation. When it turns out that this is not the case, Maud experiences what can only be described as a psychotic breakdown: she becomes convinced that she is receiving holy apparitions that she must follow as proof of her faith.

Saint Maud draws heavily on Roman Polanski’s rejection and Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan. Her holy visions do not exist outside of her mind, making the supernatural apparitions a sign of her shattered mind rather than an overtly monstrous presence. The horror comes from watching a good person fall apart, in this case because she believes she is in the throes of a religious epiphany. It drives her to disturbing levels of fanaticism that culminate in shocking violence – all at the behest of a voice she cannot help but believe is divine.

Saint Maud serves as a sharp criticism of religion, among other things, especially when it comes to women. Its horrors draw on similarly minded horror films, especially Brian De Palma’s Carrie which also examines the damage caused by fanaticism. Writer and director Rose Wood made her feature film debut with the film and was highly praised by critics, who readily compared Saint Maud some of the most revered classics of the genre. What’s particularly notable is that it comes from A24, whose horror films are usually above average anyway.

A US release was planned for April 2020, but was cancelled after the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. This drastically reduced box office numbers despite glowing reviews. Glass’ second feature film – the neo-noir thriller Love lies bleeding — was released in March 2024 to similarly strong reviews. Clark then played Mina Harker in the recent BBC miniseries of Dracula and HBO’s reboot of His dark materials before taking their place on The Rings of Power. Both roles are based on their work in Saint Maudespecially Galadriel.

Saint Maud’s subjective point of view is frightening

Saint Maud puts a lot of work on his star’s shoulders. Clark is on screen in every scene—the camera never lets go of her—and many of the film’s horrors depend on sharing her subjective point of view. Maud is a highly unreliable narrator, having one-sided conversations with God off-screen and believing she is witnessing holy apparitions on Earth. At one point she appears to grow glowing angel wings, and the finale hinges on her belief that the Almighty is speaking directly to her.

With her self-proclaimed saintly goal, Maud does indeed see herself as a saint, even as her sanity fails. Her tragedy lies in her blindness and in how terrifyingly sympathetic she remains even as she loses all touch with reality. If audiences cannot identify with her, the film’s horror stories will be unconvincing, and yet her final actions can only be reprehensible. Clark has to pull all of this off herself, aided by a steadfast supporting performance from Jennifer Ehle as Amanda, but otherwise she’s on her own. This happens with comparatively little dialogue, which is intended to express their distance and alienation.

Maud actually sees herself as a saint, even though her mental health is declining.

Her voiceover seems deliberately detached from her on-screen experiences, with the actress holding both sides together as a single personality. Much of Maud’s struggle takes place in her silence, and the actress conveys volumes with just a glance or an embarrassed grimace. When she acts, it is with a disturbing intensity that comes from a lonely and wounded soul desperate for some kind of community. Amanda’s sin, in her eyes, is snuffing out that hope after nurturing it and helping it grow. Clark reveals the deep pain this causes (and the traumas from Maud’s past, some of which go unmentioned) without losing the disturbing nature of her reaction.

Shadows of Saint Maud appear in Galadriel

The actress’s performance has many parallels to her later role as Galadriel. Both characters are completely out of place in their world. Maud wanders like an alien among the cheap temptations of her seaside town, completely alone and not quite sure what to do about it. Galadriel is more dynamic, as she is the most determined character in The Rings of Power, by far. However, she shows the same feeling of alienation and dissatisfaction. Both are seeking a connection with one of the few people around them, and both feel deeply betrayed by it. Both are also filled with a strong sense of purpose and believe that if they don’t act, disaster will strike.

Above all, Both characters are convinced that their interpretation of events is the correct one. In Maud’s case, it becomes pure tragedy, as the voices she believes can guide her turn out to be phantoms. Galadriel is more of a Cassandra, warning the elves of a threat that only she takes seriously. Galadriel’s tragedy is that she cannot recognize Sauron even when he walks beside her, blinding her to the danger she is trying to reveal. The similarities are all the more striking when you consider how different the two characters can be in many ways. Galadriel comes from a privileged and powerful background, while Maud is troubled and alone. The former is assertive and determined, the latter completely lost.

While Galadriel is ultimately right and surpasses all fears, Maud’s self-proclaimed salvation is based on monstrous delusions. In a way Saint Maud can be seen as Clark’s interpretation of a very different moment of Galadriel: her temptation by the One Ring in The Companions. Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of an experienced and seasoned Galadriel contemplating the possibility of ultimate power is operatic. Clark’s Maud is no less epic in her own eyes, but isolated and alone, just like her younger Galadriel in The Rings of Power.

It springs from an essence that Clark summons and is filtered through two very different souls to produce eerily similar results. Saint Maud is a testament to her ability to carry an entire story on her own, especially with a character who is intentionally difficult to like. These instincts pay off in The Rings of Power in exactly the same way, despite the immense differences in tone and intent between the two pieces. It speaks volumes for the actor, who hopefully has much more to show audiences in the future. The Rings of Power continues and Galadriel struggles with the consequences of her failure, it is easy to imagine some parts of Maud being incorporated into the performance.

“Rings of Power” is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. “Saint Maud” is currently streaming on MGM+.

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  Saint Maud

  A devout nurse develops a dangerous obsession with saving the soul of her dying patient.

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  The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

  An epic drama set thousands of years before the events of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, it follows an ensemble of familiar and new characters as they grapple with the long-feared return of evil to Middle Earth.