THE STORY – Eighteen year old Romain has just graduated and makes a stop at his dealer’s place to try a new pill. As he heads off to a party, he sees an injured woman on the side of the road and decides to help her, but when she gets in his car, she suddenly smashes her own head against the dashboard, bleeding out until she dies. Is this a bad trip? Or is it something else? One thing is for sure, it’s only the beginning of the night.
THE CAST – Milton Riche, Laurie Pavy & Lucille Guillaume
THE TEAM – David Moreau (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 86 Minutes
It’s impossible to discuss the new horror-thriller “MadS” without immediately mentioning its central concept – the film is presented as one long, unbroken take. It’s far from the first film to take this approach, but what sets “MadS” apart is how well this technical choice feeds into and accentuates the film’s narrative and general energy. It’s not just a gimmick. “MadS” is a visceral, in-your-face look at three average people descending into madness, shot in a way that makes the audience feel just as insane.
The story of “MadS” is simple enough. It begins with a young man named Romain (Milton Riche) on his birthday. And like so many birthday boys, he decides to try out a new drug that gets his mind racing and heart pumping. However, after leaving his dealer, things take a frightening turn when a distressed woman in a hospital gown gets in his car, has what appears to be a breakdown, and stabs herself to death. From there, Romain must make his way through an evening with increasingly upsetting, terrifying happenings. His friends Anaïs (Laurie Pavy) and Julia (Lucille Guillaume) also find themselves in the same situation, and what was supposed to be a celebratory night turns into a literal race for survival.
Director David Moreau has crafted an undeniably impressive feat of filmmaking. Smartly, the stakes and chaos only increase as the film goes on, to the point where characters eventually move between vehicles and even dodge speeding trains, all in one take. At a time when it may feel like there’s nothing a film can do to surprise viewers anymore, “MadS” will make audiences say, “How the hell did they do that?” The only downside to the one-take approach is that without the aid of cuts and transitions, characters must move between scenes and action set pieces in real time, which can occasionally feel tedious. Even still, these breaks in the film’s momentum only serve to make the next high-octane occurrence even more startling by comparison.
Of course, the film’s technical bells and whistles would be all for naught if the humans at the center of the story weren’t putting in the work. Thankfully, all three of the main actors are up to the task, bringing so much energy to their performances that simply watching them feels like a cardio workout. Riche serves as a great introduction to the film’s tone – he’s fun and playful at first before being forced to quickly switch into panic mode, which he doesn’t let up for the rest of his time on screen. Riche finds different layers to his character’s mania, ensuring his storyline doesn’t become tedious. Additionally, his physical performance is great, made all the more impressive for the obvious level of stamina that the filmmaking concept requires. Guillaume is similarly adept at finding varying interpretations of her character’s state of mind. She’s slower to jump to panic, which only makes her more sympathetic and relatable to the audience. Who would actually feel anything but concern when their friend approaches them covered in blood? Said friend is played by Laurie Pavy, who’s simply sensational. Once she takes over the narrative, she brings an upsettingly unpredictable energy to the film. Cackling and writhing about, it truly feels like watching a demon infect someone. Unlike the others affected by the drugs, infection, or whatever it is, she seems to delight in her body being taken over. It’s disturbing as hell, and her performance fits perfectly with the hyperactive pace of the film.
“MadS” is part “Birdman,” part “Evil Dead,” and a whole lot of fun. Horror fans seeking a bloody good time should take notice and mark David Moreau down as a filmmaker to watch.
