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