Director David Moreau gets back to horror after the uneven reception of the American remake of The Eye from 2008 and the young adult thriller Seuls from 2017. In its world premiere at this year’s Fantastic Fest, MadS offers a streaking networking ninety minutes of nonstop thrills of the non-movie kind: Shot in a single take, this film sends its audience careening at breakneck speed from one apocalyptic scene to the next.
Moreau re-establishes himself as a director from the post–New French Extremity movement – a group of filmmakers who shocked horror fans with his earlier film Them – Ils in French. In MadS, he brilliantly addresses a potential that might sound highly complicated indeed – the ability to fake shooting and produce an uninterrupted shoot effect. Despite being shot in five takes in five days, the shooting was done in such a manner that there are no signs of a join.
Rather than being an editing approach, Moreau provides constant control over the film’s perpetual motion, giving us a one-way dive into a sinking ship filled with infection and madness, while presenting exceptional acting as the characters’ humanity crumbles in real-time. Not only does this film illustrate his comeback but also it serves to remind people that when it comes to horror today, he’s a powerful player.
Is ‘MadS’ chaotic from the very start?
The plot begins with the main character, 18-year-old Romain (Milton Riche) – the joyful man taking a new pill from the dealer in order to celebrate graduation. However, the celebrations become gruesome when a woman in a bandage gets into his car that was parked nearby, in severe pain pulling off a blood-soaked bandage.
Romain panics when he tries to help her, she dies and all of a sudden he has an unconscious body in the car and his out-of-town father starts calling and his girlfriend Anais (Laurie Pavy) is on her way over. This confusion is well set to create the feeling of hallucinogenic insanity that follows it.
Director David Moreau creates a movie inspired by New Life, Climax, and Run Lola Run, based on a few characters living in what might be a pandemic that turns the whole world into zombies. While some more casual viewers may hope to find general reflection, in Romain’s nightmare, the viewer is driven by personal stakes.
In MadS the protagonist slips from the normalcy of just smoking weed and flirting with a lady to escaping armed soldiers who are trying to quell an outbreak. The movie goes back to personal terror, which marks death as more than violence, akin to some parts of V/H/S/2.
When Romain gets sick, indecision and his subsequent battle with anticipation of death are depicted in physicality amidst the view of French suburban and metropolitan settings. As a director, Moreau does not let this change, and transforms the film into an unstoppable force rushing through chaos – audiences are holding on to their seats as they continue living through the terror.
Does ‘MadS’ feature a terrific ensemble of horror performers?
MadS presents three young actors who, in my opinion, give outstanding performances. Audiences are not bored by the movie’s one-shot structure because the development of the dramatic narrative is handed on and on among the characters.
Milton Riche also has a bit of a role as Romain, a lighthearted lady’s man who unknowingly brings a virus home after attending a case of ptomaine poisoning at a large soiree. He guides us through the chaos first and Lucille Guillaume’s character, Julia, tries to survive in a collapsing France to save her mother.
Laurie Pavy is probably the most memorable horror actress of recent years, although most of the time she plays a stalker in the film. From a scared and helpless girl, she turns into a self-possessed, wrathful creature on par with Jane Levy in Evil Dead, and Toni Collette in Hereditary.
Quite rightly, Pavy delivers herself to the skin of her character, whether she is licking the light posts, or getting into maniac laughter, she stands out in the given industry. All in all, with one of the greatest character depth and development among anime, MadS sure delivers one great horror anime.
Who are the key cast members in MadS?
The main cast of MadS includes:
Lucille Guillaume as Julia
Milton Riche as Romain
Laurie Pavy as Anaïs
