MAYDAY (2021) – Review

Okay, here’s a unique twist on some classic fables, one that could truly be called a “fairy tale for grown-ups”. Like many of those “bedtime stories,’ it concerns the main character who’s whisked away from their dull existence into an exciting fantasy realm. Ah, but here the starting point is oppressive sexism in a place all too similar to our world. And the escape spot is not full of whimsical, magical creatures. No, it’s a place of blood, bullets, and near-constant warfare, as the land’s group of transplanted sisters spend much of their days brethelessly repeating one phrase into a spawky radio transmitter. In Military Phonetic Alphabet, over and over, it’s always MAYDAY.

And that’s just what we hear on the soundtrack (“Mary….Alice…Yankee..”) as the black screen gives way to a modern-day young college-age couple in a late model car. Ana (Grace Van Patten) and Dimitri (Theodore Pellerin) work in a dreary banquet hall. She serves the guests, while he busses and occasionally supplies the music. Everyone’s rushing to set up a wedding as a thunderstorm threatens to shut down the electricity. Ana’s supervisor is an abusive bully who berates her and eventually assaults her in a walk-in cooler. She runs out and ends up near the downstairs fuse box. A flip of a switch leads to a burst of sparks and darkness. When Ana opens her eyes, everyone is gone as she heads back to the kitchen. Odd noises and a strange light beckon her to open up the oven of a stove and crawl inside. Suddenly she’s swimming in a bright blue ocean. She’s awakened by a woman around her age, dressed in WW II-era army garb named Marsha (Mia Goth). The two travel to a beached rusted-out submarine where Ana meets the other girls, the tough-talking Gert (Soko) and the child-like Bea (Havana Rose Liu). The women use the sub’s radio equipment to broadcast out the “Mayday” message in order to send nearby ships into destructive storms. Those survivors (and any parachuters) that make it to their island are picked off sniper-style and stripped of ammo, boots, and any other items of use. The ‘sides” in the ongoing war aren’t important, as Marsha and her troupe try to eliminate them all. And it looks like they have an asset in Ana as she is adept with a rifle and spotting the enemy in the darkness. But when she balks at her first kill, a power-rift develops between her and Marsha, prompting Ana to try to return to her past world. But is there a way to defy Marsha and get off the island?

As the world-tripping heroine, Van Patten projects a relatable vulnerability as the often bewildered Ana. In the opening scenes at her job, she averts her eyes, hoping to blend into the scenery as she endures some really horrific treatment (HR, where are you). But on the island, we see an inner glow slowly fill her body, as she seemingly awakens from a stupor, though she doesn’t give in completely to revenge. Van Patten’s body language suggests a prisoner finally free from her heavy shackles. Of course, there are no such emotional restraints on Marsha, who Goth plays as the island’s swaggering “queen bee”, who relishes the chance to call the shoots ala’ Peter Pan. But when she’s crossed by Ana we see the inner tyrant emerge as she endangers her sisters with no remorse before pushing back with a truly scary screech of dominance. Soko as Gert is a most supportive soldier who finally sees the strength of Ana while discovering the pettiness of Marsha. Liu as Bea is the sweet, almost sassy kid sister of this “family”, who craves touch even as she helps in “cleansing” her home. A nice addition to these screen newcomers is film and TV vet Juliette Lewis in a cool dual role. In our world, she’s a dour restroom “attendant”, while in the “war world” she’s a hermit-like “Ms. Fix-It” (“I don’t play well with others”) who runs the garage and offers good advice with the gasoline.

With this, her feature film debut, writer/director Karen Cinorre, has come up with an intriguing fantasy commentary on the treatment of women in society. The “war island” becomes a space of empowerment and revenge, as the women act as contemporary “sirens” of mythology, luring men to their doom (the shots of their bodies floating underwater has almost a disturbing beauty). Cinorre mixes elements of Wonderland, Oz, and Neverland to showcase these talented actresses, while offering a debate on morality and justice (Ana has a code that Marsha will not tolerate). Unfortunately the story detours into precious dream sequences (do we really need to see Ana and a dozen hunky male GIs frolicking to Liberace’s take on ” Love is Blue”), along with countless montages of the quartet swimming in their “civies”, when they’re not endlessly chainsmoking (ugh). There are some involving ideas here, but often the execution is awkward, with muffled dialogue and nearly pitch-black battles (perhaps to tighten the already small budget). MAYDAY is certainly a film for adventurous viewers, while the abstract adventures and very abrupt ending will have many moviegoers scratching their heads, and perhaps trying to track down the exotic locales.

2 Out of 4

MAYDAY is in select theatres and can be streamed as a Video On Demand via most apps and platforms.