It’s tempting to look for easy sociological explanations for the mini-bubble in films about cults and small extremist groups. Such reasons aren’t likely to be found, beyond the broadening disinclination of people in the West (no matter how quickly they’ll “join” a social media group) to be members of classically cohesive collectives like churches, the Rotary Club, or even bowling leagues. Zal Batmanglij’s canny and suspenseful head-knotter Sound of My Voice initially seems of a piece with films like Martha Marcy May Marlene, United Red Army, and the new festival film First Winter. It, too, revolves around a small gang of earnest believers following a leader whose motives are suspect at best. Where Batmanglij’s film stands apart is in its unalloyed skill and confidence — this is one of the most assured feature debuts in recent memory — and in his ability to turn this exploration of cult indoctrination into both a profound character study and a nail-biting thriller. But for a conclusion that arrives long before the audience is ready for it to be over with, this would have been the runaway indie hit of the year… 

Sound of My Voice is playing now in limited release. You can read my full review at filmcritic.com.