• Release year: 2024
• Director: David Moreau.
• Producers: Yohan Balada and Marlene Wale.
• Screenplay by: David Moreau.
• Cinematography by: Philip Lozano.
• Music by: Nathaniel Méchaly.

Shotgun Commentary: absolutely fantastic. THIS is what features that show the monster’s POV should look like.

Review

MadS follows the beginning of a virus outbreak. Much like Resident Evil (2002), it seems like the diseased is human-made and the spread begins when one of the unwilling test subjects manages to escape and infect another person. The feature follows three subjects that are socially connected to each other to explain how the virus works.

A horror symphony

This film is the perfect example of villain POV done right. The transformation from prey to predator is gradual and seamless, making the content fascinating as your feelings towards each character change. From being scared for them to being scared of them, all characters go through the good-bad scale before you. It is a hypnotising transformation you just can’t get enough of.

Adding to this sensation of uninterrupted transformation is the cinematography. The 90-minute feature is shot in one take, no cuts or splices. A feat that was achieved after five days. The lack of cuts provides a real-time narration of the events, showcasing how fast a virus can be spread and destroy society as you know it.

The sheer amount of organisation and planning that a movie like this requires is overwhelming to say the least. The fact that every single moment is perfectly shot and illuminated is awe-inspiring. However, add to that the choreographed performances, and you get a one of the biggest displays of crew and cast talent of the year.

Bad decisions

Still, faithful to the genre, the characters make ridiculous decisions. There seems to be a pattern between getting in trouble at a young age and wanting to hide it from your parents. The older you get, the more you realise things can only escalate if no sober adult is present with some insight. Sadly, this mistake is fairly common, not even this author has escaped it. With the experience that comes from making the exact same mistake, watching the first character lie over and over to his father as the problem grows bigger and bigger causes the kind of anxiety only past traumas can create. It is the kind of situation you can predict, but never stop.

In addition to the inexperience and ignorance of youth, the film adds tons of drugs to the mix, creating the perfect breeding ground for disaster. There is a pattern in horror when it comes to drugs. If you are smoking weed, chances are, you are the unexpectedly wise character or the brain-fried dumbo who dies first. However, if you are snorting cocaine, you are 100% the a-hole that makes the stupidest decisions and gets everyone killed. As such, you can tell where the story is going from the very first minute of footage.

Young talent

Speaking of which, Romain (Milton Riche) is the first character we are presented to. Riche delivers a fantastic performance. He introduces us to a topsy-turvy world of parties and false friends that gets increasingly complicated and suffocating as the film progresses.

The second protagonist, Anais, is beautifully played by Laurie Pavy. Anais goes from a self-centred, clueless girl to a raging, high IQ zombie that closely resembles a heavily doped Harley Quinn (Suicide Squad, 2016). Her character is compelling and fun in the darkest of ways. She simultaneously plays prey and predator, creating a very intense emotional rollercoaster for the audience to hold on to for dear life.

Lastly, there is Julia (Lucille Guillaume). She is a friend of Romain’s and Anais’. She embodies the final girl, who uncovers what the hell is going on and how to survive the situation. Immediately after, the film ends with a pretty poetic shot that, much like The Thing (1982), is superficially open to interpretation but pretty obvious if you take notice of the little things… or is it?

All in all, MadS is a unique horror story told from the villain’s POV. This is a rare perspective that can produce incredibly boring features, like In a Violent Nature (2024), or absolute mind-blowing experiences. Luckily, this film is, by a long shot, the second case.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Don’t take smoke while driving.
• Parties sound fun, but can be really overwhelming.
• Don’t make other people’s lives about yourself.

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