MadS Review
The fantastically crazy picture “MadS,” which I summarized to those who would listen as “George A. Romero’s ‘Run Lola Run,'” was one of the most highly anticipated premieres at Fantastic Fest this year. Like Tykwer’s acclaimed picture, it’s a one-shot stunner that takes place in a very small window of pandemonium on one chaotic night.
But it’s also about the blood-soaked end of the planet, just like a lot of Romero. (And its infected characters have incredibly spastic bodily gestures that are obviously influenced by a history of brain eaters.) With his directorial debut, David Moreau, the writer of the 2006 hit film “Ils” (also known as “Them”), hopes to captivate you on-screen by eschewing the elevated horror age in favor of chaotic horror. It does not necessarily need to “mean something.” There are moments when all you want to do is ride the rollercoaster.
“MadS” opens with a young man named Romain (Milton Riche) at his dealer’s place, testing some new product he will take to his girlfriend and their clan for a night out of partying. On the way back to the city, he drops a cigarette and pulls over to assess the damage on Daddy’s car when a bandaged, mutilated woman jumps into the passenger seat. She refuses to leave, even as she’s unable to speak—she plays an ominous recording that makes it sound like she was experimented on at a nearby facility, from which she’s escaped. He drives off, and things go very wrong almost immediately as she starts stabbing herself, getting her blood all over our poor driver. To say his night is ruined would be an understatement.
Again, “MadS” is shot in one continuous take, and one of my favorite sections unfolds as Romain drives home, parks in the garage with a body in his passenger seat, and goes in to wash off her blood. Moreau does a fantastic job at making his oner feel organic and unpredictable. We can feel Romain’s WTF wheels turning in his brain, trying to figure out what to do next, especially with Daddy coming home tomorrow, and things shift substantially when he returns to the car to find his new friend gone. Almost hysterically, he goes out on the town anyway with his girlfriend Anais (Lucille Guillaume), although he’s clearly getting increasingly unwell. Can’t stop the party.
Even though everyone’s party is about to end, Moreau manages to keep his flowing camera moving through the mayhem in a less theatrical manner than most one-shot films. It’s more about imposing a viewpoint than it is about flaunting. We cannot jump across town to a character who has been abandoned or cut to the other angle to observe what is happening. The release of a cut is not granted to us. We’re running too much. By limiting us to one character at a time and making us almost sprint to keep up with its fearful characters, the forced point of view gives “MadS” a vitality that it wouldn’t have otherwise, adding to the disorientation. This gives “MadS” a distinct feel from most of the movies that influenced it, a novel interpretation of the concept we’ve seen before.
“MadS” is ruthlessly depressing; I knew that everyone was doomed at the halfway point when Romain gave way to the amazing Lucille Guillaume. Nevertheless, the gory momentum is interspersed with incisive, sinister moments of humor. I believe it will be a hit with horror enthusiasts constantly searching for fresh approaches to retelling some of the most classic tales. Numerous stories regarding the end of the world have been told to us. This one is unlike any we’ve ever seen,
