We’ve all seen movies that show the beginning of an outbreak. Viral, zombie, no matter which it is, the outbreak always starts with one person and then quickly spreads everywhere. What you probably haven’t seen, though, is that story told in real-time without edits, following a group of friends on what was supposed to be a fun night out that turns into an absolute nightmare.
That’s the plot of Mads, a new French film from director David Moreau. It’s a 90-ish minute single take (or at least, is made to look that way with hidden cuts) that starts in a guy’s apartment, goes down the road, into a house, back into a car, to a party, onto the streets, and into a tall building, all while the camera follows either on foot or by vehicle. The result is a constantly stressful ride that leaves you a little empty story-wise but sufficiently blown away at the impact the filmmaking style has on it.
Things start with a young man named Romain (Milton Riche) scoring drugs for the night ahead. Things are going well as he drives his classic car down the street, stoned out of his mind. That is until a woman covered in blood and bandages gets into the car. The woman can’t speak, can’t explain, and is extremely aggressive. He isn’t sure what to do but his night is officially over.
From that point on, the camera in Mads is the main character. It never gives us a break and only goes away from the action when it makes things even scarier. More characters are introduced, such as Romain’s girlfriend (Laurie Pavy), and we watch as they, along with the audience, figure out what the heck is going on. Because the camera never stops, a lot of the film is characters bumbling around like idiots or screaming in confusion because they’ve just been infected with something and they don’t know what’s happening to them. Moments like that are usually cut from zombie movies so it’s both cool to see, but also a little maddening. Still, the tension and energy never let up because there isn’t a moment to breathe.
Mads is so concerned with that pace that it never exactly defines what’s happening to these characters. It finds innovative ways to give us a little bit of information here or there, but whether it’s just some kind of killer virus or a zombie thing is never quite spelled out. Instead, whatever is happening shares traits with all of those things and the purposefully vague nature of it adds to the suspense. (Plus, would these characters know what was happening on night one? Of course not.)
The actors are all impressive in the film but it’s Pavy, as the girlfriend, who really shines. As the bridge character between the beginning and end of the film, she has the most complete transformation and gives a powerful, physical performance. Every time she’s on screen, we’re both terrified to see her, but also realize the movie is better when she’s in it. When she’s not, even for a few minutes, it’s not as good.
In the end, Mads is certainly more about style over substance but that style is so cool and energetic you probably won’t mind. I didn’t. The film kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next, and how the heck the filmmakers were going to capture it.
Mads recently played Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, and will be on Shudder October 18.
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