Maddie’s Secret
Cult comedian John Early directs and stars as a budding foodie in this big-hearted paean to womanhood and camp TV melodramas.
Maddie’s (John Early, Stress Positions, MIFF 2024) culinary gifts impress her husband and her best friend. But at the food content-creation company Gourmaybe, where she works, the shy kitchen whiz prefers to stick to washing dishes. When a video of Maddie cooking unexpectedly goes viral, she’s catapulted into the spotlight, but the pressure leads her to revert to a former destructive outlet: bulimia. Can she get away with peddling delectable food while secretly purging it?
With visual touches recalling Douglas Sirk and John Waters, the feature directorial debut of actor and comedian Early is a stunning throwback to the golden age of the made-for-TV movie. But it’s also a tragicomic masterpiece all its own: alongside the inevitable laughs, the film is a winning blend of tender character study, ode to feminine resilience and critique of egoistic influencer culture. Supported by a sterling cast that includes Kate Berlant, Claudia O’Doherty, Eric Rahill, Conner O’Malley and Saturday Night Live’s Vanessa Bayer, Early is formidable as Maddie, sensitively portraying her kindness, candour and weakness for both validation and rejection.
“A triumphant tonal balancing act … Maddie’s Secret straddles the line between comedy and melodrama, creating a wholly unique cinematic experience.” – The Hollywood Reporter
Tickets
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