In her column “Her POV,” Blyss Cleveland reviews classic and contemporary films directed by women.

Content warning: This review contains references to mental health that may be troubling to some readers. 

Parent-child relationships can be bewildering. For children, it can be flummoxing to be confronted with situations where someone who made your life possible makes it harder to be in the world. Conversely for parents, knowing a child their entire life doesn’t mean he or she isn’t a stranger.

“Madeline’s Madeline” (2018) tackles this thorny dynamic with an added twist. Written and directed by Josephine Decker, the film is a psychological thriller and relationship triangle among Madeline (Helena Howard), her mother, Regina (Miranda July) and the former’s play director, Evangeline (Molly Parker). As Madeline takes on a more prominent role in Evangeline’s “immersive” theater production that draws on experiences of the cast to create the story, it becomes more difficult for her to manage her fragile mental health. She is positioned as an unreliable narrator, but as alliances shift, the viewer wonders if Madeline is really as unstable as she seems, or if she is reacting as normally as her abnormal circumstances allow.  

Madeline is a Black and biracial 16-year-old girl whereas her mother and director are white. The exploration of cross-racial intimacy through the medium of performance is intriguing. While it’s natural to show parts of your personality to different people, being habituated to putting on an act makes it hard to sustain genuine connections. As “Madeline’s Madeline” progresses, it’s clear that private behavior has little to no bearing on public comportment.

Regina initially appears to be supportive of Madeline’s acting talent. She drives Madeline to endless rehearsals and plays along during spontaneous improv. However, Regina grows overinvested and volatile. When Madeline expresses a small measure of dissatisfaction, Regina raises her voice and behaves as if she is the victim of a personal attack. There are lovely moments between them, such as a conversation in the park where they lie on a blanket and discuss aging and dating. Yet, Madeline is often left wondering which is the “real” version of her mother.

Regina’s lack of compassion for her daughter stems from seeing her as a person, and not a Black girl who navigates the world differently because of her race — a fact that Madeline confronts her with and is met with disbelief.

In contrast to Regina, Evangeline provides Madeline with a steady stream of positive affirmation. Madeline is a willing muse, but the artistic enmeshment is problematic. Evangeline’s collaborative approach consists of using details from the lives of her cast with no consideration of how it might impact them. During one scene, Madeline shares a recurring nightmare where she burns her mother’s hand with an iron. The flicker of excitement in Evangeline’s eyes is telling — Madeline thinks she’s being understood, but she’s actually being mined for content.

The thread between these relationships is that both women comment on Madeline’s mental state without any consideration to how such commentary affects her. 

There is no doubt that Madeline is suffering from a mental health episode. She refuses to eat, engages in antisocial and manipulative behavior and appears to act on violent impulses. It is ambiguous if these are fantasies or memories.

Decker’s masterful directing implements several technical elements to show the viewer Madeline’s state of mind. The rhythmic breathing and drumming during rehearsal carries over into a non-diegetic soundtrack and punctuates scenes beyond play practice. There are several scenes where we hear conversations before we see them happen — another effective disorientation technique that casts doubt on whether they happened at all. Additionally, lest one think characters are coming to a mutual understanding, extreme close-ups show that being too close to something can distort your view. The audience may doubt the veracity of the action, but we’re always kept close to how Madeline feels about what she’s experiencing.  

As the doting parent who just doesn’t understand, July is pitch perfect as Regina. Her ability to be physically demonstrative and loving makes her histrionic moments even scarier when they occur. As Evangeline, Parker walks the tightrope of hiding her appropriative behavior with kindness. Madeline is widely regarded as a talented actress, a moniker that’s easy to believe thanks to Howard’s nimble work. Throughout the film, she dons a leonine mane of hair that is not quite curly and not quite straight. It is a veil she uses to hide behind and alternatively frame her incredulity at the world she inhabits. Howard’s performance is especially impressive considering it’s her feature film debut.

In addition to the strong trio, my favorite character is Max (Sunita Mani), Evangeline’s long-suffering assistant. Mani is a comedian and actress who shines even in bit parts. When Max sneezes during a tense moment, her valiant effort to stop herself from sneezing again only highlights the absurdity of the situation. The moment of levity is much-needed catch breath during a tense confrontation that doesn’t lower the stakes of the conflict.

“Madeline’s Madeline” is a haunting film with several surprise revelations about the complexity of interpersonal relationships, making art and navigating closeness to a parent who doesn’t quite get their child. The most pleasurable and maddening aspect of the film is that it treats the viewer the way the characters treat one another — keeps us close, but holds us at arm’s length. 

Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.