A film that starts off deceptively simple, a religion-centric drama that slowly and surely pushes the extreme boundaries of horror in zealotry with a star-making performance from Morfydd Clark. Clark embodies all aspects and all stages of the devout, a woman trapped in a nightmarish loop of losing the patients under her care, overly course-correcting through strict adherence to biblical practices, and losing just that little bit of sanity over and over again when the cycle begins anew. It is both a joy and a terror to see Maud fluctuate from the tight-laced nun-esque nurse of Amanda to the directionless, sleazy barfly seen later, as she plunges into a downward spiral of booze and sex before her revelation comes in a mess of sweat and squalor, only for her to clean herself and her home all over again (as cleanliness is next to godliness after all). I think one of my favorite aspects of the film were the delicate touches of the supernatural; seeing visions of God in the clouds or Maud's angel wings puts you squarely into her character's headspace, as you are forced to constantly question the true reality of each situation. You can even come to understand why Maud believes all of this from her perspective even as you know her mental state is in jeopardy. While of course religion is a huge subject for this film, I also like how Saint Maud tackles questions of death and states of extreme loneliness and isolation. Maud and Amanda are the perfect foils for each other; from Amanda's perspective, Maud's youth is wasted on old-fashioned rules while Maud wishes for Amanda to clean up her act so she can secure a place in heaven before it's too late. It's Amanda, even in her state of near-death, who chooses life however, surrounding herself with friends and sexual relationships, squeezing out every drop of joy and pleasure before it all eventually comes to a stop. It's this irony that truly drives the film forward and one of Maud's most flawed aspects. I also enjoy the film's incredible restraint, only briefly lingering on moments of pain and torment while instead focusing on the more anxiety-inducing side of the horror genre. I really have to applaud the film's last few shots in particular, that was just incredible film making. I can't wait to see what Rose Glass does next.