Normal Cinema Club is excited to return to Belfast Film Festival with one of the funniest and most heartbreaking films of the year.
Maddie Ralph works as a dishwasher at Gourmaybe, a test kitchen/content creation lab, though secretly she dreams of a life as a viral chef, creating reels and recipes for millions of adoring fans. Fortune shines fondly on Maddie and she skyrockets into fame, becoming one of the lab’s on-camera personalities. But soon the success turns sour, and the intense scrutiny that comes with a life lived online manipulates and tortures Maddie’s sense of self.
Maddie’s Secret is many things at once: absurdist comedy, razor-sharp satire, deeply sincere melodrama, a love letter to American TV movies as much as John Waters as much as Douglas Sirk – John Early’s ability to walk this tightrope without one false note is what makes the film so singular. Furthermore, he writes, stars, produces and directs in what is sure to be one of the most egregious snubs of the Oscars race. Why? They hate true talent. The cast is rounded out by numerous shining stars: Kate Berlant, Eric Rahill and friend of the club, Conner O’Malley. Simply put, there’s no reason to miss one of the definitive films of our current age.
TW: the film contains depictions of disordered eating, self-harm & suicide.