MadS (2024) Review

by Jack Hanley of Kinophila and HanleyOnFilm.com

MADS (France) Dir. David Moreau

Just WOW. MadS is the single-shot, REC meets Euphoria crossover you didn’t know you needed in your life. Shot in a single take (or at least the illusion of one), this zombie incarnation is teaming with a pulse and energy seldom found in the genre. What should have been simply grand fun boldly evolves into a masterclass in mood, tension, and tone not seen via this “gimmick” since Hitchcock’s ROPE. You’ve seldom seen your cinematic nihilism this sexy or exhilarating.

And bravo to Moreau for turning over the narrative to the brilliant Laurie Pavy in the second act- Isabelle Adjani (POSSESSION) walked so you could stagger.

*** 1/2 out of *****

Jack Hanley is a Boulder-based film scholar, podcaster, and critic. He is a programmer with the Chicago Underground Film Festival and Boulder International Film Festival. He is one-half of Blindspotting: A Film Discovery Podcast and Flicker with Jack and Scott on YouTube. Find him at Kinophilia on Medium and at HanleyOnFilm.com