184. Madeline's Madeline; movie review

MADELINE'S MADELINE
Cert 15
93 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex references

I'm confused. What is Madeline's Madeline trying to convey?
Is it a gentle poke at the acting schools and the wacky, arty ideas that the teachers have?
Is it a coming-of-age film centred on a teenager who struggles to make friends not least with her own mother?
Is it a comedy or is it serious drama? Who knows and, ultimately, who cares?
The title character, played by Helena Howard, is an aspiring actress who has been given the lead role in an experimental theatre piece.
The group's director (Molly Parker) pushes boundaries by weaving Madeline's own troubled life into the work.

Therefore, the backdrop is her fractious relationship with her mother (Miranda July) and the lines between art and reality begin to blur.
The direction of the piece prompts agony for the mother, daughter and the director.
There is no doubt that there is some serious acting during Josephine Decker's film.
Howard's performance is powerful but at the same time, she translates the vulnerability of a teenager trying to find herself as a woman.
However, my problem was that Madeline's Madeline is twofold - firstly, it doesn't have enough to say beyond the relationship of teenager and mother and another adult who is envious of her talent.
And secondly, its characters are just plain irritating. When Madeline's mother walks out of yet another cry for help, I was teetering on following suit.
There is just too much shouting and too much 'teenager feels that the world is against her' to find enjoyment.


Reasons to watch: Appears to be a tongue-in-cheek attack on acting schools
Reasons to avoid: Will be too arty for some

Laughs: A couple of chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 4/10

Did you know? Josephine Decker and and Helena Howard first met in 2014 at a teen arts festival that the director was judging. 15-year-old Howard performed a monologue and Decker was so moved by the performance that she began to cry, which caused Howard to cry, too. Decker told her that it was the best performance she'd ever seen and that she'd like them to work together on a film.

The final word. Helena Howard: "I brought elements of my life, from people I interacted with, and things Josephine had told me, because she was going through something in her life with a friend who had a mental illness. The stories that we had created in the workshops were about the spectrum of bipolar disorder and anxiety." i-D

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