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It is not every day that you get to watch a movie starting with only close-ups of everything. I suppose that is quite a clever gesture to introduce a manic character without saying the exact words – we get to see through her eyes, enter her mind; we feel her fear. The short film Mad Clean opens strong: a forcefully worded argument in which we only see the seemingly stubborn, and struggling sister unwilling to step out of her excluded apartment cell. We are immediately trapped in this claustrophobic space with the protagonist, Leanne, who so fiercely closed the door against the rest of the world as what seems to be a self-protecting attempt. The movie seems to be tinted with an unwavering gray hue until accompanying the upbeat music. Ebony, the cleaning lady, interrupts the melancholic scene wearing a bright cloud of baby-blue. 

The story takes a genre trope and adds an empathetic twist by joining the conflicted, one mentally and the other economically, characters and thus collide into a heartfelt moment as the latter somehow invites a glimpse of light into the former’s physical and spiritual spaces. Despite being a short production, it manages to create possibilities for humane concerns for underrepresented groups in various demographics. But instead of using powerful persuasive skills that would risk turning itself into a total commercial, it still preserves the artistic voice through subtle cinematic touches: from the details of mise-en-scene such as the egg cartons on the wall and yellow-tinted paper on the window to the actresses’ more prominent facial expressions, characters exceed their prototypes and outlines a brewing friendship.           

My favorite scene of the movie, however, is the somewhat unnerving dread of men wearing chemical suits creeping out from their hiding places within Leanne’s cell (or imagination). There is an inherent invasion of comfort with the surrealist, dreamy imagery of a threat that already exists inside our homes – representing us – something that I wished the filmmakers could sustain in the latter sequence. In fact, the impression of this sequence haunts me so much that I even generated several versions of dark interpretations of the latter scene, something I’d be glad to hear about similar viewing experiences.  

There is a great filmmaking voice that enhances the rather simple and linear plot, something we ceaselessly look for from thoughtful filmmakers and more. The passion, effort, empathy, and concern for the overlooked and underappreciated is what makes individual filmmaking the resourceful mine that would always convey surprises. The endeavor is contagious, and it would certainly inspire more to pick up a camera, and for more to be seen and heard.

 Mad Clean screens as part of Shorts Program #1at the Spring 2025 New Jersey Film Festival on Saturday, January 25.  The film will be Online for 24 Hours on this show date and In-Person at 7 PM in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ.

Tickets are available for purchase here: https://watch.eventive.org/newjerseyfilmfestivalspring2025/play/670d1f59ca3a0a0064271dcf/670ac53e5f12070033c51ffa

The 43rd Bi-Annual New Jersey Film Festival will be taking place on select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between January 24-February 21, 2025. The Festival will be a hybrid one as it will be presented online as well as doing in-person screenings at Rutgers University. All the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VoD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person screenings. Plus, acclaimed singer-songwriter Renee Maskin will be doing an audio-visual concert on Friday, February 21 at 7PM! The in-person screenings and the Renee Maskin concert will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ beginning at 5PM or 7PM on their show date. General Admission Ticket=$15 Per Program; Festival All Access Pass=$100; In-Person Only Student Ticket=$10 Per Program. 

For more info go here: https://newjerseyfilmfestivalspring2025.eventive.org/welcome

Three minutes into this film, I paused and texted my boyfriend, a huge enthusiast of creative thrillers, stunts, and cool fight scenes: “I think this is totally your thing.”

While Texas Chainsaw Massacre is almost THE horror film that would trigger the “You’ve NEVER seen this?” response, following its steps is hardly child’s play. I will not say Dead Community Guild is a textbook demonstration, yet it is rather straightforward and concise in what it conveys: a dystopia premise with the end-day desperation on the scorching Texas road. The opening scene well establishes how the worldview is built with a crisp and somewhat comedic confrontation. Just as such, we are informed of how, in the film, the human conflict is extremely exacerbated by the scarcity of resources that laws, civilization, and the goodness of human nature all cave in to the minimal animal instinct and the drive to survive. The radio broadcasting of the “welcoming” messages for survivors to join the community, despite the endearing tone, recurs in the film so often that it becomes creepy as a threat that we cannot help but assume the so-called community might be the climate of a bloodbath, just like the dawn of the Hunger Games.

Moreover, it is subject to personal interpretation why the center of the chaotic skirmishing is a pair of sisters nestled against each other for a tiny bit of warmth. Is it the hope that the bittersweet taste would mesh well with the dark coffee? Or is it an attempt to add their charm to this rough blend of madness? The savage beauty of two pretty women holding guns? Or is it for a different voice? Or, rather simply, the eyes of the newcomers?

No matter how I see it, I always appreciate the aesthetic of Western movies. From the breathtaking silhouette of the two sisters hugging in the sunset to dreamy, surreal sequences with almost poisonous-colored filters and empty shots of the no-man land, even the tiny breezes spread the drought. We can tell that these are well executed when we feel the overexposed images depriving every drop of water in our throat; still, the uniqueness and, sometimes, why we like Indies is how creative and wild they could be when they are free of the restraint of genres. The particularity of Dead Community Guild lies in the unexpectedly diversified color palette, time reversal, and experimental ghostly sequences.

Some might categorize movies into two kinds: artsy productions that cater to those who consider themselves cinephiles, who would “appreciate, criticize, and analyze,” and the other kind for those who just want to have a good time. And some might think the former is for the “pensive viewers” who speak the language of films. Yet there are always those for both, or neither, that defy a stereotypical definition and show all there is to show about a good story, and present a chorus after which anyone, deep-thinker or not, could say, “That was a good one”, and I would say Dead Community Guild would count as one. Even without special emphasis on the scores, it isn’t surprising that the director, Emil Minasyan, is a musician, as we can identify the beats, chorus, and repercussions in the overall narrative and how neatly it climaxes and wraps up.

“So, is it good?” One might ask. Whether you’re looking for just a good time, something for reflection, or something for analyzing, I would probably have the same answer. “This could totally be your thing, but there is only one way to find out.”

Dead Community Guild screens at the Spring 2025 New Jersey Film Festival on Saturday, January 25.  The film will be Online for 24 Hours on this show date and In-Person at 7 PM in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ. Tickets are available for purchase here.

The 43rd Bi-Annual New Jersey Film Festival will be taking place on select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between January 24-February 21, 2025. The Festival will be a hybrid one as it will be presented online as well as doing in-person screenings at Rutgers University. All the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VoD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person screenings. Plus, acclaimed singer-songwriter Renee Maskin will be doing an audio-visual concert on Friday, February 21 at 7PM! The in-person screenings and the Renee Maskin concert will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ beginning at 5PM or 7PM on their show date. General Admission Ticket=$15 Per Program; Festival All Access Pass=$100; In-Person Only Student Ticket=$10 Per Program. 

For more info go here: https://newjerseyfilmfestivalspring2025.eventive.org/welcome