Maddie's Secret is a Camp Spectacle
Woman, interrupted
4/5 stars
"Camp" is a term with a very nebulous meaning, but at its heart, it is a celebration of artificiality and theatricality. It's often used for comedic effect, but it can also be a powerful way to point out the hypocrisies of society. This is exactly what John Early does in his directorial debut Maddie's Secret. He uses camp aesthetics to make a statement about the increasing superficiality of our looks-based world and the horrible toll it can have on a person's mental health. The result is a film that is funny and tragic in equal measure, held together by a truly one-of-a-kind performance.
Madelyn Ralph (played by director John Early in drag) works as a dishwasher behind the scenes of a famous cooking show, but she dreams of hosting a show of her own. After a cooking video she posts on the internet goes viral, Maddie is offered her own show and becomes an instant sensation. However, the pressure of performing on camera reawakens a long-buried eating disorder, and Maddie's life begins to spiral out of control.
Early goes full camp with this story, filling it with garish colors and intentionally over-the-top performances, making it feel like a parody of a made-for-TV movie. The aesthetics heighten the message of the film about the ridiculous pressures that beauty standards place on women. The fact that the main character is played by a man in drag only heightens the absurdity of it all. The film loses a bit of steam in the second half when it shifts from comedy into full-blown melodrama, but John Early's performance and direction cement him as a unique new voice in indie cinema.
Maddie's Secret is currently playing in select theaters.
Written and directed by John Early // Starring Early, Kate Berlant, Eric Rahill, Claudia O'Doherty, Connor O'Malley, Vanessa Bayer, Chris Bauer, Nate Varrone, Ruby McCollister, Gordon Landenberger, and Kristen Johnston // 98 minutes // Magnolia Pictures // Unrated (R equivalent)
