Festival Focus - MegAlomania
Megalomania is a disorientating twenty minutes of madness and intrigue. We meet Gene a young woman who plays carer to her self-obsessed mother, as she participates in a televised competition in hopes of reconnecting with her father. Yet, Gene is drawn in by all the trappings of fame, exposing herself to a torrent of drugs whilst doing almost anything to remain relevant. Megalomania provides a clever commentary on reality tv and peoples desperation for fame, against the backdrop of an perplexing and exciting world which is unlike our own.
Perhaps the highlight of the film is the world Rex Russell created for his characters to exist in. Gene lives in poverty, her home is a drab, dirty flat which is juxtaposed by the bright colours and excitement founded in the competition space. The alluring nature of the bright adverts and the visually pleasing forest are more so disconcerting than welcoming, as they assert a sense of dystopia and fabrication. The lines between fiction and reality are also blurred throughout the film as we experience drug fuelled illusions and dreams which incorporates clever camera techniques and great editing to make each sequence fluid yet intriguing. Megalomania is a unique and creative film which will keep you bewildered right until the very end.
