Sundance 2020: ‘Mayday’ Boasts A Novel Concept But Is Undermined By Its Heavy-Handed Approach

Ana (a charismatic Grace van Patten) has strange dreams. Nightmares about tunnels, visions of a war she hasn’t been a part of, and a mysterious radio voice spelling out M A Y D A Y. Weird though it may be, it’s a welcome distraction from her mundane work life—stuck in an unpleasant (and borderline abusive) catering job where she’s treated with less than respect. She isn’t without friends; her co-workers Dimitri (Théodore Pellerin) and Max (Zlatko Buric) are kind and respectful, but overall she’s treated like a disrespected commodity instead of a young woman deserving of respect. When she finds an escape through the kitchen into a mysterious war zone, where a troop of female combatants (led by the enigmatic Marsha, played with a relatable subtle fury by Mia Goth) wage eternal war against… men, really.

Karen Cinorre weaves a surreal feminist yarn here, with these young women in perpetual war against those very men who seem to be constant antagonists against women in the film’s ‘real world’. It’s surely a novel concept, and the film’s squad of female protagonists teach Ana the rules of their ‘war against men’ with giddy aplomb. The cinematography here goes a long way towards selling the fantastical plot, taking on the tone of a realist war story and capturing the beauty of the woods and water that so frequently grace the Mayday screen.

Grace van Patten proves an excellent lead here, her character evolving from a quiet real-world sufferer of daily mistreatment to a literal willing warrior, an into a woman with a newfound independence and lease on life. Mia Goth’s Marsha boasts an otherworldly likability as she maneuvers her group of young women through this infinite, indefinite gender war. It’s an engaging journey and a strong concept overall.

As a whole, the film still suffers two issues that contribute towards it falling short of its potential. On the one hand, the portrayal of a fantastical ‘war between the sexes’ as the film’s metaphorical fantasy landscape comes close to working quite well despite how ‘on-the-nose’ the concept is, except that some of the film’s dialogue is so committed to so bluntly reinforcing that metaphor that it sometimes loses the potential power and insight behind the idea. Additionally, the realism of the fantasy world gives some plausibility to a frankly implausible set of circumstances, but with a concept that’s such a ‘blank check’ one can’t help but think of the wider range of events and encounters that could have been used to bring the point further home and add drama to some sequences that feel unnecessarily drawn out.

Mayday nonetheless is an intriguing concept advanced by a talented cast and strong direction overall. It offers some relevant insights, but nothing particularly ‘new’ in its thematic lessons—a little more nuance and greater ingenuity in how the film makes its points would have amplified its overall impact. Nonetheless, it’s an largely worthwhile journey that showcases its Cinorre’s considerable talent.

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