Elizabeth Olsen and her costar Johnathan Hawks in a scene from “Martha Marcy May Marlene.” (Courtesy of Fox Spotlight)

Elizabeth Olsen, little sister to the famous Olsen twins, has no problem stepping out of her older siblings’ shadow.

In her new film, “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” the New York University graduate plays a young woman who just escaped a seditious cult and struggles to find her identity outside of the cult’s Catskills compound.

Olsen’s turn as Martha is chilling and believable. As the movie progresses Olsen’s character slips deeper into insanity, questioning everyone and everything around her.

The film is structured where it is split into two stories, one that shows the time Martha spent in the cult and the other that follows the character after she escaped the cult and managed to make it to her sister’s home.

“I felt lucky that I was able to essentially make two different movies,” Olsen said. “I was the only person besides the crew who was able to be on both locations. It really did feel like making two different movies, because she has two different journeys in both locations.”

Sean Durkin is the director of “Martha Marcy May Marlene”. Considering that this film is only Olsen’s second time in front of a camera, Durkin played an integral part in shaping the way she played Martha.

“The great thing about Sean as a director is that he presents himself as an open book,” Olsen said. “He has every single character’s back story figured out in his head, and has all these answers.”

Starring alongside Olsen is Johnathan Hawkes. Hawkes plays Patrick, the cult’s leader and spiritual guide. Often times, Hawkes character brings the story to its darkest of points. This portrayal of Patrick is stone cold and stellar.

“John, first off, is like really funny, caring and kind,” Olsen said about her co-star. “What I learned from him is how much an actor can do for you when it’s your coverage, and they’re not even on screen.”

Olsen first got to see the movie at the Sundance Film Festival. She recalls that the movie was “very confusing to watch” at that time.

“It was my first time seeing myself on screen, so to me it was like a moving photo album,” Olsen said. “It had only been two and half months after we finished shooting, so when I saw the scene I would think back to the set. I have a hard time thought — I’m in every frame of the movie, and so that was difficult to watch. I don’t really necessarily enjoy watching myself for that long.”

“Martha Marcy May Marlene” is peppered with scenes to strip down Olsen’s character to its purest forms and demands that the actress be on the top of her game. With scenes that involve situations like theft, murder, and rape, Olsen claims that the hardest scene to shoot didn’t involve the cult at all.

Olsen’s biggest challenge came when Martha experiences a nervous breakdown when her sister threw a posh dinner party.

“The lake house party scene was the most memorable because it was the most difficult,” Olsen said. ” There’s only one cut in that whole scene, so it was challenging trying to find out that rhythm of that scene and how to build a climax without any cuts.”

After being told by a friend that her role as Martha may be helped by Kate Winslet’s role in “Holy Smoke,” Olsen, out of curiosity, saw the film and used it as to her advantage when she began filming “Martha Marcy May Marlene.”

“By watching that film I felt confident to be put in situations that were physically and emotionally vulnerable,” Olsen said. “Also it gave me an understanding of how nudity could be used in a way for it to tell a story as opposed to being gratuitous or sensationalized.”

Even though “Martha Marcy May Marlene” is only Olsen’s second feature film, her performance is receiving rave reviews; most believe that the actress is on the early short-list to be nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars in March.

“I truly believe everyone should see this movie more than once, because it is so smart, and there are so many things hidden and framed specifically,” Olsen said. “I think that experiencing this film is something that is an experience that people don’t get watching any other movie.”

“Martha Marcy May Marlene” is now playing in select theaters.