Mad World isn't as much a narrative as it is a series of events leading to an inevitable conclusion. Writer/director Cory Cataldo introduces us to four high-school buddies, running the table, more-or-less, of teenage victims. Cory (Gary Cairns II) is the loser from the wrong side of the tracks. Will (Dylan Vigus) is the fat class clown. John (Matthew Thompson) is the black kid who rejects black stereotypes, and Jevon (James Lee Martinec) is the moody, mysterious rich-kid/drug-addict. They make an unlikely team save for the fact that they're outcasts, and they suffer outrageously at the hands of exaggerated authority figures and bullies. Over the course of 100 minutes of proselytizing and exploitation, it becomes clear that these boys are destined for a killing spree.

Though by no means perfect, Mad World is a striking picture that makes you think about the causes of school massacres. While many want to find a root cause for such things, Mad World makes its point in blunt terms; there are plenty of reasons kids might take a few hundred rounds of ammunition into the cafeteria. However Cataldo accomplishes this with a series of frustrating dichotomies.

For starters, is this a revenge flick, or a thoughtful drama? Full of exploitation elements, the movie would seem to appeal to prurient interests, yet each time some insanity happens - racially charged bullying, drunken-parent beat downs, what have you - we're allowed plenty of silent time with lingering cinematography to think things through. It's a tricky mix to pull off, as is the combination of some truly impassioned performances (Matthew Thompson and Robert J. MacColl as Jevon's creepy dad stand out) in service of pedantry, long speeches telling us what's going on in our character's minds, and what we're supposed to think rather than allowing for subtlety and interpretation. Even the soundtrack gets into the act. Tunes with lyrics sell the story remarkably well, while instrumentals meant to underscore action are clunky and ham-fisted.

Where this World is most maddening, though is in seemingly wanting to eat the cake and have it, too. Bad things happen in this movie. Really bad. Stuff even this jaded viewer was a little shocked by. We are primed to cheer these kids on as they do some well-deserved ass kicking. Sure, their myriad tortures are summed up in Cory's clanking speech as completely logical reasons to kill everyone: "they said we would turn out to be nothing, and they MADE us nothing," Cory rants. So much for self-determination. The problem lies in the fact that Cataldo won't let us revel in revenge. As awful as it seems, this movie needs some gleeful satisfaction, and we need to feel the thrill of the carnage. Mad World wants to be taken seriously. Methodical pacing (the movie could lose at least 20 minutes) and speechifying testify to that. But the sheer volume of sleazy transgressions indicates a fast-paced exploitationer waiting to break free. You can marry the two ideas, but Mad World gets cold feet.

Post Script: Then film ends with an interview subject saying something like, "kids should not kill" to a news reporter. The final shot has that reporter looking at the camera with air-headed amusement. It's the weirdest damn ending to a movie that I've ever seen.

The DVD

Video:
16 X 9 anamorphic widescreen looks decent for a low-budget effort. The image is mostly crisp with decent detail levels, and colors are fairly well saturated and natural looking. There isn't even anything in the form of serious compression or transfer issues. It's not a beautiful movie, looking a little flat and digital, but there's nothing to really complain about.

Sound:
Digital Stereo Audio fluctuates in quality due mostly to the source. Some dialog competes with muffled, echo-plagued room sound, while looped dialog sometimes doesn't fit the sonic image properly. No big deal really. Soundtrack songs are mixed a little too up front for my taste, and there isn't a huge amount going on as far as sound design.

Extras:
A Director's Commentary Track includes Cataldo and stars Cairns and Vigus hitting the expected targets. Cataldo of course does most of the talking about story origins, BTS stuff and more. Occasionally everyone lapses into silence as they watch, but this is overall a good commentary track. A 10-minute Director's Statement/Interview about Teen Bullying recreates much mentioned in the commentary, while also going deep into the genesis of the story. A 10-minute Cory and Jevon Interview allows the actors some time to yak about their parts. Coby C Interview covers 11 minutes from the film composer's perspective, plus we get his Coby C Music Video, "Knocking at Your Door", a disturbing six minutes of down-tempo glitch-core or something. A Photo Gallery and Trailers complete the picture.

Final Thoughts:
It's nice to see a low-budge exploitationer in need of this much thought, by which token Cataldo's weird, dramatic look at teen bullying is successful. Though it shows its low budget, and not all performances are great, Mad World packs a bit of a punch. It wants to be taken seriously - methodical pacing and explanatory speeches testify to that. But the sheer volume of sleazy transgressions indicates a fast-paced exploitationer waiting to break free. You can marry the two ideas, but ultimately Mad World gets cold feet. Rent It.

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