Madfabulous retells the real story of Henry Cyril Paget, the fifth Marquess of Anglesey out in Wales, a guy who came back at the tail end of the 1800s to claim his aristocratic title, only for his over the top lifestyle to put him at odds with practically everyone around him. It's a genuinely gorgeous film to watch, worth checking out honestly just for the incredible outfits alone on its iconic queer lead. This version does stray from what actually happened growing up in his real life, but it still pulls in all the major chapters of his story and turns them into something visually rich and beautifully done. Nothing about his sexuality gets stated outright anywhere in the film, but it's pretty clear he's meant to read as queer, which should make this an easy watch for queer film fans. Back in the 1890s, Paget, the black sheep of his family, shows up in North Wales to take on his title as the fifth Marquess of Anglesey, and immediately shocks his uptight relatives with how mu...
The basic plot of the film is very simple. A young man Frank, spends his summer days hopelessly searching for companionship at a popular cruising spot on the shores of a lake in rural France. The woods behind the beach is where the gay men involve in sexual encounters. Frank meets Henri, a flabby a guy whose wife has just left him and who sits alone on the beach away from most gay men. Frank also meets Michel, a very attractive yet darkly mysterious man and starts falling blindly in love with him. Although Michel is with someone, he and Frank does end up hooking-up. One evening Frank spots Michel drowning his current partner. Instead of calling the police, he is drawn more and more towards Michel and desperately falls in love with him; even as local police starts an investigation and both Frank and Michel are prime suspects. Henri has an intuitive understanding of what has happened and warns Frank who himself is scared but can't help being madly in love with him. When Henri confronts Michel of knowing what has happened, he goes to the woods signaling Michel to follow him, Frank overcomes with a bad feeling and rushes towards the woods. He finds Henri dying who tells him that he has finally received what he used to come to the beach for. With Henri dead, Franck is terrified and runs off into the woods to hide. Michel is now looking for Frank who is hiding but still his desire to be with Michel is greater than his fear.
The whole look of the film, as I said before is very thrilling. A slow thriller that sets the pace of the daily ritual of these individuals. The way characters move and interact is very very real. The naked male body is celebrated like never before and is treated very casually and with eroticism. Yes, the sex scenes are out there but as an audience we need to understand that yes Frank is driving himself to self-destruction because Michel is all worth it according to him. Sure I did sometimes get uneasy every time we see the similar scene of cards driving and parking, but you feel as if you are present there and are visually witnessing everything that is going on. The performances are beautiful and setting flawless. I can see why this film is being applauded in the film circuits. And at the same time I can also understand moviegoers saying WTF !!! This film needs attention, patience and your complete involvement.
The mystery may be resolved, but the suspense and uncertainty remains even in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed it but don't take my word because for all I know, you may actually hate it. (8.5/10)
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