The highly anticipated and long-awaited third installment of the 28 Days Later films has finally hit theaters, and everyone is talking about it. Not only does 28 Years Later build on the world Danny Boyle created in the original, but it also follows in 28 Days‘ footsteps with its unique filmmaking techniques. The first film was largely shot on digital camcorders (specifically the Canon XL1) to give it a rough, grainy feel that captured the chaos of the world the characters were living in. Boyle also felt that it was more maneuverable for the quick, early morning shoots they frequently had to do. For 28 Years, he used elaborate rigs with iPhone 15 Pro Maxes to capture that frenetic filming style.
These films have been game-changers in the way they are filmed, but there is another recent zombie film that is also filmed in a unique style: the French horror film MadS. The film is one continuous shot, meaning it was filmed all in one take with no cuts.
What Is ‘MadS’ About?
MadS
3.5
/5
- Release Date
-
September 21, 2024
- Runtime
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86 Minutes
- Director
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David Moreau
MadS follows a teenager named Romain (Milton Richie) who stops off at his drug dealer’s house before heading off to a party. On his way out, he picks up an injured woman to get her help. After Romain puts her in his car, the night immediately takes a surreal turn. One that Romain and his friends could never have prepared for.
Since the film is shot in one continuous take, the story is passed off to three different main characters, much like the infection is passed from person to person. We first follow Romain, then his girlfriend Anais (Laurie Pavy), and finally their mutual friend Julia (Lucille Guillaume). Romain’s section is filled with tension and unease since the viewer doesn’t quite know what fate awaits him, and anything could happen. The next two-thirds of the film that follows Anais and Julia are full-blown survival thrillers, but never let up on the intense feeling of dread that lingers throughout the film’s short 89-minute runtime.
‘MadS’ Takes a Unique Technical Approach
The one-shot filmmaking approach can seem gimmicky in certain films, but here it absolutely works for the story. Much like the frantic, realistic camera style of 28 Years Later that adds to the tension and chaos of that world, the one-continuous-take technique in MadS makes the viewer feel like we are in the movie with the characters. Since the story follows three separate main characters on their journey with this virus, filming the movie in one shot makes sense narratively.
We are watching the events of the film happen in real time as each of the three main characters interacts with this virus on their own. It feels natural to have the camera move from one character to the next as we follow each of their journeys without any cuts. The characters have no idea what is happening or why it’s happening. So, to wander around the streets of this French suburb with them as horrific things happen around them puts us in their shoes. If you were living through a zombie virus outbreak, it’d look a hell of a lot like this. Therefore, the one-shot method serves the story here.
A New Spin on the Zombie Apocalypse
The zombie subgenre of horror is typically credited to George A. Romero’s provocative classic, Night of the Living Dead, from 1968. Zombie movies have been hugely popular since then, so it is difficult to come up with new and exciting elements to keep this subgenre fresh. While MadS doesn’t fully reinvent the wheel on zombie movies, it certainly adds a unique perspective both with the filming style and the way the virus spreads.
Romain partakes in recreational drug use, hence why he stopped off at a dealer’s house before heading over to the house party where he was to meet up with his girlfriend. His dealer gives him a new experimental drug made of red powder that he brings with him in the car when he picks up the injured woman. Her blood drips onto the drugs, which are later ingested by Romain, who then kisses Anais at the party. It’s made to seem as though the red drugs the kids were doing at the party were responsible for the spread of the virus, when it was likely the injured woman’s blood that Romain unknowingly ingested. Think of it like Climax mixed with 28 Days Later.
The Perfect Level of Ambiguity
Zombie films are typically pretty straightforward. A virus or infection is let loose and infects everyone, or the undead rise from their graves. When someone is bitten or infected, they too become one of them. This is true for MadS, but what happens beyond that is where the film becomes less straightforward. The rules and origin of this virus are never explained but rather left up to interpretation. It appears that it spreads through blood or physical contact, and it is even hinted that other bodily fluids could spread the disease. Yet, Julia comes into direct physical contact with both Romain and Anais and doesn’t appear to turn.
The film doesn’t explicitly state how the virus spreads or how fast those who come into contact with it will turn, adding another layer of ambiguity. Julia kisses Romain at the party and is attacked by Anais once she is turned, in addition to coming into contact with numerous other infected people in the third act. Still, it is never clear if she actually gets the infection, which could mean she’s a carrier or immune.
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At the end of the movie, she lets out a sort of maniacal laugh that could indicate she succumbed to the infection, but that’s just one interpretation. It could be exhaustion or trauma from what she’s just experienced. Since we are never told where the virus originated (and if it was the drugs or blood that spread it), it adds to the tension, unease, and mystery surrounding the film. Plus, with the camera never cutting away, we’re never quite sure where it’s going to end up. Stream on Shudder.
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