MadS

"[Julia:] Tell me none of this is happening . . . [Unnamed:] Listen to me. This life no longer exists." The exchange, between the "Julia" and another (unnamed) character does as well as anything to highlight the predicament of "MadS." The insanity of a drug-induced night of partying has leveled-off to the insanity of the "new reality" that unfolds over the course of "MadS's" 1:29 "single-shot" running time.

To accomplish this feat, the director utilizes a technique found in such anthologies as "Southbound" (2015), which weave related stories together through the use of a succession of single characters that intersect at the periphery of each story. Thus, in succession, "MadS" has the viewer follow (and then leave) "Romain," "Anais" and, finally, "Julia." Our journey is through the course of a single night that begins at twilight with Romain scoring drugs for a birthday celebration with his girlfriend, Anais, and ends with Julia returning home for the evening.

In terms of the film's subject matter, comparison might be made to "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), "REC" (2005)or "28 Days Later" (2002), with the aforementioned caveat that "MadS" simulates a found-footage style "real time" telling in which the viewer is privy only to the experiences of one character at a time. For two-thirds of the running time, this directorial strategy does place us in the driver's seat as we, like Romain, and then Anais, are trying to separate the "high" from what is "really" happening.

Here, the cinematography and audio choices assist in reflecting the sheer craziness of what transpires (there is a wonderful scene where Romain, in an attempt to escape the noise and chaos of a party, puts on a Halloween-style rubber head mask. The audio suddenly muffles, as though we are now hearing the party through his (covered) ears.)

By the time we get to Julia's segment, however, we in a sense know as much or more than the characters and are simply waiting to see how things will end. In that sense, the conclusion of "MadS" is hardly innovative. I will avoid spoilers and simply note that the ending feels familiar to the genre.

Having said that, I will also say that "MadS" is the type of film you want to go into knowing as little as possible. Much of the ride does indeed feel "fresh."

Note: For those sensitive to strobe settings, there is a scene at the 34:00 minute mark that utilizes heavy strobe lighting.

Although the story seems simple and usual, this is a very interesting movie in how it escalates and how it chooses where to focus and what to leave unexplained. In other words we have seen this before but not in this way. Also it is important to point out the different interpresentations that one could extract in general. Drugs related the most important. What it leaves, is a feeling of unease which is very important from the beginning. If you choose to watch this movie searching for allegorical meaning or not, you will be satisfied in the end. Very promising acting from Laurie Pavy and a big hope for the future.

One of the most overused horror tropes in movies is that of twitching and neck cracking. It isn't scary anymore. Was it ever? It's just pure cringe. If that's your thing, you'll find plenty of it here. So I guess this was a zombie movie?? The acting at times was so over the top that I literally laughed out loud. I found the first half hour or so to be pretty great. Unfortunately it starts to drag and becomes very repetitive and redundant. I started to get bored and wanted it to end. But I stuck it through. It feels a bit like a wannabe 28 Days Later, which is a far better film and one of the best zombie flicks ever!

This is an incredibly well executed film.

The beginning is intense and very well directed and feels credible.

The story does follow a drug addict.

So might not work for those with strong stigma. But shouldn't be a problem for a reasonable viewer.

The film follows an intense night of partying that turns into something else.

It's a very well acted film. And well directed.

A great achievement to so skillfully direct a movie with one take.

The stream of events is engaging.

This is one of those film to watch with as little knowledge as possible.

Well worth it.

I can't say much more. But this movie is well directed and very engaging. And feels fresh.

But in the end, it is very much style over substance which is it's weakness.

But a great ride to take.

A fresh, fun start to the film that immediately lays out it's ambitions with a single tracking shot, hip soundtrack, and beautiful cinematography. The fresh premise wears thin during the back half however, as the film falls prey to repetition and actors who cannot stop shrieking. The screaming. And shrieking. A director who had shown a competent and semi restrained approach fully betrays this and falls prey to an overly indulgent back half.

I legitimately muted the film at multiple points and considered skipping minutes 70-80 because the screaming and overall sound design was too grating. The influence of 28 days later was also clear during one particular segment of the score, which was neat. Despite not being able to land this, an admirable attempt that I don't regret watching...sort of.