MadS (2024)
Directed by: David Moreau
Premise: A French film in which a teenager picks up a distressed woman on the side of the road. Matters quickly go sideways, as the woman transmits a disease that the driver spreads to others.
What Works: MadS is a zombie apocalypse film but it brings a unique approach to that genre. This is a film in three acts with each portion focused on a different character. The film opens on Romain (Milton Riche) who has an encounter with a mysterious woman and later goes to a party with his girlfriend Ana. The middle portion of MadS is Ana’s story as the disease takes hold of her and we’re given a full glimpse of this film’s interpretation of zombieism. This is not the shuffling undead of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead or the rabid runners of 28 Days Later. These zombies are erratic and feral, even babylike at times, and actress Laurie Pavy throws herself into a fearless performance. The last portion of MadS follows Julia (Lucille Guillaume) and through her story the full scale of the crisis is revealed. The filmmakers smartly introduce all three characters early on; their lives are intertwined and we get a sample of each of their personalities, enough to assess the quality of their characters. MadS is a technical showcase. The movie is shot and assembled so that the whole eight-six minutes appears to be a single uninterrupted shot. The illusion is seamless. The film also uses sound quite well. The music is effective and the sound effects are disconcerting and give MadS an organic quality. The visual style and the audio track create a sense of chaos and doom and MadS has tremendous energy.
What Doesn’t: Many of the qualities that distinguish MadS also confound the ways we usually understand and enjoy movies. The style of the filmmaking and the structure of the narrative generally exclude us from the characters. These people’s desires and goals are mostly irrelevant. MadS is more of a style piece like the original Suspiria and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and as that it succeeds but at the cost of depth.
Disc extras: Available on the Shudder streaming service.
Bottom Line: MadS is a great horror picture. It’s made with technical virtuosity and style and has a freewheeling and chaotic vibe that is engaging and scary. The zombie genre has been done to death but MadS imbues it with new life.
Episode: #1019 (October 27, 2024)