"Tell me none of this is happening . . . Listen to me. This life no longer exists." The exchange, between the "Julia" and another (unnamed) character does as well as anything to highlight the predicament of "MadS." The insanity of a drug-induced night of partying has leveled-off to the insanity of the "new reality" that unfolds over the course of "MadS's" 1:29 "single-shot" running time.
To accomplish this feat, the director utilizes a technique found in such anthologies as "Southbound" (2015), which weave related stories together through the use of a succession of single characters that intersect at the periphery of each story. Thus, in succession, "MadS" has the viewer follow (and then leave) "Romain," "Anais" and, finally, "Julia." Our journey is through the course of a single night that begins at twilight with Romain scoring drugs for a birthday celebration with his girlfriend, Anais, and ends with Julia returning home for the evening.
In terms of the film's subject matter, comparison might be made to "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), "REC" (2005)or "28 Days Later" (2002), with the aforementioned caveat that "MadS" simulates a found-footage style "real time" telling in which the viewer is privy only to the experiences of one character at a time. For two-thirds of the running time, this directorial strategy does place us in the driver's seat as we, like Romain, and then Anais, are trying to separate the "high" from what is "really" happening.
Here, the cinematography and audio choices assist in reflecting the sheer craziness of what transpires (there is a wonderful scene where Romain, in an attempt to escape the noise and chaos of a party, puts on a Halloween-style rubber head mask. The audio suddenly muffles, as though we are now hearing the party through his (covered) ears.)
By the time we get to Julia's segment, however, we in a sense know as much or more than the characters and are simply waiting to see how things will end. In that sense, the conclusion of "MadS" is hardly innovative. I will avoid spoilers and simply note that the ending feels familiar to the genre.
Having said that, I will also say that "MadS" is the type of film you want to go into knowing as little as possible. Much of the ride does indeed feel "fresh."
Note: For those sensitive to strobe settings, there is a scene at the 34:00 minute mark that utilizes heavy strobe lighting.
