• Release year: 2026
• Director: Chris Rakotomamonjy.
• Screenplay by: Chris Rakotomamonjy.
• Cinematography by: Quentin Ponot.

Shotgun Commentary: a fair low-budget attempt at… something.

Review

A Mind in Chaos is the kind of low-budget horror film that leaves you confused. If you want high-quality, move along. But if you appreciate indie cinema, you might find something to love in this project.

The story follows Elena (Lavinia Manescu) a pretty rude boss whose life is turned upside down when a disgruntled ex-employee comes into her workplace and starts shooting at everybody. She is the sole survivor of the tragedy even though she was the one who fired him in the first place. In fact, the two people who agreed upon firing the man, Elena and her boss, are the only two that survive the attack.

Ironies of life aside, Elena takes the whole ordeal pretty hard, becoming a recluse in one of her boss’ homes. To help her, he pays for an experimental therapy retreat. When she arrives, she immediately notices that something is very wrong with the house. A notion that is reinforced by the housekeeper, Ms Wagner (Sonia Sabardeil), who seems less than pleased to be in her presence from the very beginning and does nothing but gaslight her at every turn.

The good place

Elena’s adventures in the odd house are fascinating. Sadly, there are a few elements in the film that pull you away from the experience and lowkey spoil what could have been a pretty interesting thriller. Let’s start from the beginning: the locations. While the retreat is in a cute house that totally looks the part, the opening of the story is a cheap motel trying hard to look like an office complex without any success whatsoever.

There are many ways to shoot in an “office” and make it passable. Shooting in a motel room with access to the pool is definitely not one of them. I would like to blame this on the low budget, but this is clearly more the result of an astonishing lack of imagination on the part of the location scouts.

Heard and seen

Now, it would be easy to continue this review complaining about the CGI, but honestly, low-budget CGI is quite cool and not a matter in which one should waste a limited budget. That being said, I do think the audio of a film does need to be properly set up. Sound design is important, and a little bit of effort goes a long way. It is one thing to have some moments feel off due to an echoey sound or a very plain one, and another one entirely to have full words missing or a significant delay between the image and the audio. I’m not asking for an Undertone (2025) level of sound design, but decent editing would have been nice.

Lastly, and this is the first time that such a department is mentioned negatively in this blog: what the hell is up with the wardrobe? It is bad enough that the protagonist sleeps with her earrings on. But why on earth would a posh woman sleep with satin pyjamas only to change into a thrifted look that makes her look like Dollar Store Barbie? Is her intention to look lush when no one can see her and give off feral raccoon energy in public? The whole thing makes even less sense than the Rocky Horror Picture Show-inspired ending.

All in all, A Mind in Chaos is a fun time if you don’t have much else going on. It will not change your life, and you will probably forget it within twenty-four hours, but it is also not offensively bad. If you feel like giving it a go, you will find it on Amazon Prime.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Embrace cheap CGI.
• Take care of your wardrobe.
• Fire responsibly.

What’s your take? Have you watched A Mind in Chaos? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message on my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀