PARK CITY – The first few minutes of Josephine Decker‘s “Madeline’s Madeline” immediately inform you that this is not going to be a conventional narrative in the slightest. A teenage girl, the Madeline in question, sashays her way into her family’s dining room where her mother patiently watches as she lays down on a credenza pretending to be a cat. Her mother indulges this behavior by going over and rubbing her head and stomach as she purrs. Madeline seems alive in this moment and she radiates a joy that makes her mother smile. Eventually, it becomes clear this is only an acting exercise for Madeline, but Decker has served notice the tale of this free spirit will challenge you. And frankly, that’s actually a far more infrequent occurrence at Sundance these days than the festival would like you to believe.
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Instead of hanging out with kids her own age, Madeline (Helena Howard) is spending her free time as a member of a modern theater group under the direction of the slightly self-absorbed Evangeline (Molly Parker). Her participation was an idea her mother Regina (Miranda July) thought of to assist her daughter with her mental illness (or at least that’s what is inferred). What she’s suffering from exactly is unclear, but, in the eyes of Evangeline and the adult members of the troupe, they myopically see her incredible raw talent and nothing else. When Madeline participates in their acting exercises, she’s often more magnetic and transformative than the other artists 10 years or more her senior. As time passes, however, Madeline’s behavior starts to become more and more erratic. Regina discovers she stopped taking her prescriptions and is helpless to get her back on track with them.
Making matters more complicated is Evangeline’s decision to make Madeline the center of her latest immersive production. Moreover, Evangeline is taking elements of Madeline’s life and putting them in the show without her mother’s knowledge. This would be a tremendous amount of pressure for any teenager, but Madeline’s condition and the fact Evangeline is indecisive about almost everything with the show itself makes the whole situation a powder keg waiting to explode.
From a narrative standpoint, Decker and her three writing collaborators have fashioned a reasonably compelling story. What makes the film transcendent is how she uses the art of cinema to convey it and Howard’s phenomenal performance.
Decker and cinematographer Ashley Connor uses hand-held cameras, intentionally playing with focus and unconventional light sources to communicate Madeline’s mood and well being. (In fact, Connor’s work here is so superior to her other premiere at Sundance, “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” it’s hard to believe they were shot by the same person). Obviously, it goes without saying this approach isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, but, along with some impressive sound design and the contributions of choreographer Faye Driscoll, the film begins to tell its story in an almost radical manner.
None of the techniques Decker and her collaborators use would be as effective as they are without the almost extraordinary contributions by Howard. This is the 19-year-old’s professional acting debut and her presence isn’t electric just because of her inherent natural on-screen charisma. No, in Howard’s hands Madeline’s mental issues never hint at a false sense of authenticity and, when the story calls for it, she evokes a guttural fury that is simply spectacular to watch.
“Madeline’s Madeline” is certainly not for everyone, and while that might not sound like a ringing endorsement, it’s solicited in the context that the film is an experience that will test some viewer’s patience, as good art often does. And yet, when the elements Decker has fashioned come to a climax in the third act with Madeline’s own creative ascension, the result is a truly exquisite cinematic experience. [A-]
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