VOA标准英语2012--Female Cult Leader Mesmerizes in Psychological Drama

 

Female Cult¹ Leader Mesmerizes² in Psychological Drama

In new sci-fi psychological drama “Sound of my Voice,” a young female cult leader claims to be from the future.

A mysterious figure who lives in a Los Angeles basement, Maggie says she has traveled back 30 years in time to prepare people for what's coming. Like any mesmerizing³ cult leader, she has followers⁴ who listen to her revelations of a bleak⁵ future of war, hunger and poverty. 

But not all of her followers are genuine. Peter and Lorna infiltrate⁶ Maggie's group hoping to expose her as a fraud. Things don't go as planned because, although Peter mistrusts Maggie, he's also taken with her. 

Equally as intriguing⁷ as the cult leader she portrays⁸, is the film’s promising⁹ actress. Brit Marling, who portrays Maggie, co-wrote the script with director and producer, Zal Batmanglij. The filmmakers faced challenges as newcomers in tough economic times. 

"It's hard enough to get someone to invest in an unknown director and an untested actress, let alone in 2009," Batmanglij says. "So we really had to come up with something clever on our own. So we shot the movie on an SLR which is a consumer camera. Then we got a lot of people to come and donate their time for free."

Marling's first film, "Another Earth," released last year, established her as an intuitive, intelligent actress and writer. 

"As an actor, part of what makes the job so intoxicating¹⁰ is the idea that you don't have to spend your entire life stuck in your own point of view," she says.

In four years, she has acted in four films, co-scripting three of them. 

"We started writing these films, making these films in a vacuum," Marling says. "I don't think we ever imagined they would enter the world in the way that they have." 

In "Sound of my Voice," Marling's Maggie allows us to see her the way we want. She appears fragile and strong at the same time. She could be a villain¹¹ or a saint. 

As for the plot, its finale is open-ended, prompting the audience to ponder the possibilities. 

 

1 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

2 mesmerizes   

v.使入迷( mesmerize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This collection mesmerizes the Nepal's Himalayas, beautiful people and colourful festivals. 这张收录使尼泊尔的喜玛拉雅山脉、美丽的人民和多姿多彩的节日沉浸。 来自互联网

3 mesmerizing   

adj.有吸引力的，有魅力的v.使入迷( mesmerize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I think you must be mesmerizing me, Charles. 查尔斯，我想你一定在对我施催眠术啦。 来自辞典例句
• The attendant one-dimensional wave equation has mesmerizing harmonic properties. 伴生的一元波平衡具有迷人的和谐特性。 来自电影对白

4 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

5 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

6 infiltrate   

vt./vi.渗入，透过；浸润

参考例句：

• The teacher tried to infiltrate her ideas into the children's minds.老师设法把她的思想渗透到孩子们的心中。
• It can infiltrate as much as 100 kilometers into enemy territory at night.可以在夜间深入敌领土100千米。

7 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

10 intoxicating   

a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的

参考例句：

• Power can be intoxicating. 权力能让人得意忘形。
• On summer evenings the flowers gave forth an almost intoxicating scent. 夏日的傍晚，鲜花散发出醉人的芳香。

11 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。