Although the first half hour is attractive in the development of the mystery and confusion it causes in the viewer, from the moment that the director has no intention of giving explanations, you must assume this world of female soldiers in constant warfare. As Alice falls into the rabbit hole, Ana is introduced into this world through an oven and then we witness a simplistic and childish game of misandry.
40 Reviews
Novel, minimalist approach to feminist drama
lotekguy-130 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The movie opens with Ana (Grace Van Patten), a young waitress being treated quite harshly in several ways, including the most personal. She opens an oven door to discover a Narnia-like portal to another realm. But this one's a grim war zone, in which she joins a few other women living in a bunker, and learns to fight the male armies around them. Her situation is rather vaguely defined. Is she dead? Is she dreaming? Is this a true alternate universe? The tale unfolds with Ana gaining skills and confidence as she bonds with the others. Her journey begins to seem more akin to The Wizard of Oz, with abuse playing the causative role of Dorothy's tornado.
We watch the quartet of young kindred spirits employing several tactics for bumping off the males of the surrounding armies and navies, including the eponymous distress signal. We also watch Ana's determination and coping abilities blossom in that barren, post-apocalyptic setting. Eventually, the war begins to seem endless and pointless, spurring her to take the initiative and alter her path.
The production is quite minimalist in every respect, from locations to costumes and cast size. Much is achieved via communications with offstage voices in the gloomy, gray exteriors, and even darker interior sets. It's a message film that winds up being anything but subtle, with little joy for its principals along the way, other than a whimsical musical sequence in the latter half.
The premise and tone from writer/director Karen Cinnore are relatively unique, which makes this film intriguing. The same can be said for Van Patten's performance as she evolves under duress.
We watch the quartet of young kindred spirits employing several tactics for bumping off the males of the surrounding armies and navies, including the eponymous distress signal. We also watch Ana's determination and coping abilities blossom in that barren, post-apocalyptic setting. Eventually, the war begins to seem endless and pointless, spurring her to take the initiative and alter her path.
The production is quite minimalist in every respect, from locations to costumes and cast size. Much is achieved via communications with offstage voices in the gloomy, gray exteriors, and even darker interior sets. It's a message film that winds up being anything but subtle, with little joy for its principals along the way, other than a whimsical musical sequence in the latter half.
The premise and tone from writer/director Karen Cinnore are relatively unique, which makes this film intriguing. The same can be said for Van Patten's performance as she evolves under duress.
Just Like a shadow in the Cloud Except With More Politics
scottmannen125 October 2021
All feminist cast in a WW2 scenario where the all female army go around killing just men? Just when you thought Hollywood couldn't manage to make movies any more political then they already are...they somehow manage to do it! This is not a good film. It's not because of the lesbian love sparks, nor is it the rough and tumble macho females acting strong. No it's pretty much the terrible writing in this film. I can just see how Hollywood execs approved this film project featuring brave independent women hunting men down in a WW2 scenario film penned as a groundbreaking feminist storytelling the likes of which the silver screen has never seen before!
This dud of a film will be forgotten fast and dropped immediately into the bargain bin at Walmart the day it's released on DVD. Don't even bother wasting any time on this dumpster fire. 3/10.
This dud of a film will be forgotten fast and dropped immediately into the bargain bin at Walmart the day it's released on DVD. Don't even bother wasting any time on this dumpster fire. 3/10.
beware, time you will never get back
danand-397287 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Mayday, Mayday I've just seen the movie Mayday! This film was so pointless and made very little sense. Sure you artsy fartsy types are going to say "you didn't get the deeper meaning of the film" - girl is trying to kill herself and changes her mind - there, point of movie in less than a sentence. I watched the movie hoping it would get better, and it never did.
no idea what i just saw
iuliusaugustus2 January 2022
If only I could write SOMETHING, ANYTHING...
rippleleena21 October 2021
It is very difficult to review something that is absolutely nothing. But, review I must, as I am gender bound to do so, cuz if I don't, I won't respect myself in the morning! So, as the free minded, strong, brilliant female I so know and adore, I will proceed with my review by inscribing negative 13 digits, truncated:
-1T
(which is rapidly getting lower the longer I ponder this non-descript non-movie's rating)...!!!
-1T
(which is rapidly getting lower the longer I ponder this non-descript non-movie's rating)...!!!
a missed oppurtunity.
davejam-498212 October 2021
Almost turned it off...
lirmihn28 January 2022
Glad I didn't.
This is NOT a 'spoon feed me' movie.
It's not literal.
There are lots of clues* with which you can run in a lot of different directions. When I realised it wasn't SxFx & stopped trying to dissect what I was seeing, it immediately became better.
A lot of really negative reviewers here, but possibly this style just isn't for them... and folks who stopped watching missed the Love is Blue dance sequence, which I found quirky, funny, & totally appropriate to the rest of the film.
If you're at all intrigued, let it wash over you & think about it afterwards 🙂
This is NOT a 'spoon feed me' movie.
It's not literal.
There are lots of clues* with which you can run in a lot of different directions. When I realised it wasn't SxFx & stopped trying to dissect what I was seeing, it immediately became better.
A lot of really negative reviewers here, but possibly this style just isn't for them... and folks who stopped watching missed the Love is Blue dance sequence, which I found quirky, funny, & totally appropriate to the rest of the film.
If you're at all intrigued, let it wash over you & think about it afterwards 🙂
Didn't get it
rotem-pockard22 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I can't say there was a plot or a point to this movie. It is pretty- the actors, the location, the music... but that's the only thing I can say about it.
It's almost like a condensed "Lost" - the afterlife in a weird island with only women who are like a modern version of sirens using the radio to kill off men in storms, using guns and knives on the few that make it through. Unfortunately this review is probably more interesting than the film itself.
Hard pass.
It's almost like a condensed "Lost" - the afterlife in a weird island with only women who are like a modern version of sirens using the radio to kill off men in storms, using guns and knives on the few that make it through. Unfortunately this review is probably more interesting than the film itself.
Hard pass.
People are just missing the point
bigjump_air17 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
As a right wing gun owning conservative cis man I must say... I liked this movie. I don't see why people are connecting feminism to this film. People have completely missed the point if they think it's about man hating and that is an incredibly shallow interpretation of the movie and which itself is almost the complete opposite.
Spoilers... It's about a woman dealing with abuse (probably a rape) and escaping into her mind where she meets different characters representing parts of herself and this is how she is coping with what happened. One character (Marsha) is technically man hater and attempts to make our main (Ana) the same as her and almost succeeds. It's important to see though that Marsha isn't a person, she's an emotion, Ana's hate. Ana's is trying to figure out how to direct the pain from her experience. She has a hate associated to what happened but she is also conflicted as well, and Marsha almost convinces her to be swallowed by the hatred but Ana realizes she can move past it.
This is probably a better message that is being overlooked. "In the dark I can still see the stars." Not all men are bad... or in a whole, not all people are bad. She has a boyfriend that is caring and loving towards her and she almost loses him to the blind hate, but she makes her way back to see that he is not bad. She also grows and is stronger and more confident personally to finish out the film.
The fact the people are misinterpreting this film is the exact problem which society now and why probably people won't grow like Ana. Subgroups of humanity are not all fully bad.
Spoilers... It's about a woman dealing with abuse (probably a rape) and escaping into her mind where she meets different characters representing parts of herself and this is how she is coping with what happened. One character (Marsha) is technically man hater and attempts to make our main (Ana) the same as her and almost succeeds. It's important to see though that Marsha isn't a person, she's an emotion, Ana's hate. Ana's is trying to figure out how to direct the pain from her experience. She has a hate associated to what happened but she is also conflicted as well, and Marsha almost convinces her to be swallowed by the hatred but Ana realizes she can move past it.
This is probably a better message that is being overlooked. "In the dark I can still see the stars." Not all men are bad... or in a whole, not all people are bad. She has a boyfriend that is caring and loving towards her and she almost loses him to the blind hate, but she makes her way back to see that he is not bad. She also grows and is stronger and more confident personally to finish out the film.
The fact the people are misinterpreting this film is the exact problem which society now and why probably people won't grow like Ana. Subgroups of humanity are not all fully bad.
This is a artistic piece of emotional screen writing.
CreativePopCulture6 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Although the film is pretty slow to get to where its trying to go, it tells quite the emotional story.
I guessed the girl was rapped and was looking for a way out of her life, but it wasn't until the end that I figured out it was her subconscious she had crawled into. We can sometimes be our own worst enemies. And unless we are able to breakthrough and get past our emotions, we will just stay stuck.
I can't understand why there are so many negative reviews, other than to think you all must have missed the point entirely. I kinda wish more people would read a movies synopsis before watching and leaving a review.
I guessed the girl was rapped and was looking for a way out of her life, but it wasn't until the end that I figured out it was her subconscious she had crawled into. We can sometimes be our own worst enemies. And unless we are able to breakthrough and get past our emotions, we will just stay stuck.
I can't understand why there are so many negative reviews, other than to think you all must have missed the point entirely. I kinda wish more people would read a movies synopsis before watching and leaving a review.
Negative 10
marineprincess8 October 2021
I want to say these young actresses have famous family members and that's what got them this opportunity because it sure as skata wasn't talent or appearance. This is some of the worst acting I have seen since Waterworld. I'm starting to lose faith in Hollywood either they were getting very desperate and running out of material or the brain capacity average is that of a boiled peanut. Skip it. Ok bye.
No, thank you.
golbandrei16 December 2021
why...? a fenomenal femalistic flop?
ops-525352 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Im a grumpy old man, that has been working in a 95% female environment all my life as a nurse, ''boy youre too girlie girlie'' theyve sung for me, even though ive always tried to keep a low profile, and have therefore, i guess, avoided what we all know as feminism, and all that it stands for. But according to this well filmatographicly made stub of motionpicture, i have my doupt to the feminism-topic. Is it really as bad as this in 2021? Is it really necesarry to make such movies today? What will it gain? Who is the core audience to this murderous female campaign, that starts up with a pusnished girl that creeps into a pandoras box( still profoundly in love with pandora) waking up in a fog of war, supposedly 2nd world war, where the main purpose is killing men...!?
I shall not elaborate or spoil the fun for the ultras, but i think this movie is 50 jahre spaet gemacht, the war on feminism is merely over, the battle is almost won, and as the counterintelligence says its going to become like a paradise in the years to come, cause theyve invented the new version of the atomic bomb, namely the #metoo threat that hangs over each and every man every hour, minute or second of the day.
So i might be a silly grumpy old man that love to break even with everyone and loves to watch quality filmatography, which there are lots of in ''mayday'', and i might as well deaclare the start of a new movement to protect myself from the wave of criticism that will come outta this review, namely #mentoo, cause its not that easy to be a man after all. So my final conclusion is i saw, became bored and fell of and still threading the water...
I shall not elaborate or spoil the fun for the ultras, but i think this movie is 50 jahre spaet gemacht, the war on feminism is merely over, the battle is almost won, and as the counterintelligence says its going to become like a paradise in the years to come, cause theyve invented the new version of the atomic bomb, namely the #metoo threat that hangs over each and every man every hour, minute or second of the day.
So i might be a silly grumpy old man that love to break even with everyone and loves to watch quality filmatography, which there are lots of in ''mayday'', and i might as well deaclare the start of a new movement to protect myself from the wave of criticism that will come outta this review, namely #mentoo, cause its not that easy to be a man after all. So my final conclusion is i saw, became bored and fell of and still threading the water...
Pretty Bad
gab-675991 October 2021
Not entertaining or interesting at all. Stupid pointless story, combined with horrible acting. The lead was pretty and on of the other brunets but that was it. Uninteresting, unbelievable crap! I recommend "It takes 3" if your looking for a good story and acting.
I got 16 minutes in
Rickinator6910 November 2021
a big mess
gracegonzalez-6123811 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is not good, but not for the reasons that many other people are claiming.
First off, if you actually see how the storyline progresses and the philosophy it ultimately ends with, it would be inaccurate to say this movie is feminist at all. And I was ready to call out this movie on shoe-horning in an in your face female-power cheese fest. But it can't even do that right, because it doesn't make any sense.
This movie's world-building is atrocious. After experiencing a traumatic event with a male coworker (which may have not been the first time?), the main character crawls through an oven and ends up... somewhere else. Whether that's the afterlife, or some pocket dimension, or just into a dream, it isn't reality as we know it. But the rules of this world are never really laid out in any real way. Lots of things contradict each other.
If it's the afterlife, why are there men there that were definitely alive in her real life? If those men aren't real how do they end up there? They feeling like NPC enemies in a videogame that just exist to die. They aren't even shown to be very violent at all and don't seem to have any idea that the women are their enemies. So are the women there just like, manifesting this war in their heads? Anyways.
Storytelling wise it is very jumbled. After initially easily accepting the premise that she has to kill men, the main character decides killing = bad and she doesn't want to do it anymore. A justified decision to make, I guess, but everyone else around her (aside from one) almost too easily accept this change of heart considering they've been living these for seemingly forever. They then help her go back despite the fact that her leaving will like, implode this pocket dimension or something. I don't know what makes her so important that these people no longer care about existing since it seems her main motivation to return is that she has a friend (who is a man) back on earth.
The main character goes back to her real life, which still sucks since nothing about it has changed at all. And it seems she ends the movie with a: "Well I just have to keep moving forward" kind of attitude. Which is strange, because that doesn't actually solve any of the problems in her life. So you wonder what that character journey was even for, if she was just going to end up in the same place she started.
This movie makes you ask too many questions that you shouldn't have to. It feels like the barebones of a story that could have been interesting, unfortunately it never gets off the ground.
First off, if you actually see how the storyline progresses and the philosophy it ultimately ends with, it would be inaccurate to say this movie is feminist at all. And I was ready to call out this movie on shoe-horning in an in your face female-power cheese fest. But it can't even do that right, because it doesn't make any sense.
This movie's world-building is atrocious. After experiencing a traumatic event with a male coworker (which may have not been the first time?), the main character crawls through an oven and ends up... somewhere else. Whether that's the afterlife, or some pocket dimension, or just into a dream, it isn't reality as we know it. But the rules of this world are never really laid out in any real way. Lots of things contradict each other.
If it's the afterlife, why are there men there that were definitely alive in her real life? If those men aren't real how do they end up there? They feeling like NPC enemies in a videogame that just exist to die. They aren't even shown to be very violent at all and don't seem to have any idea that the women are their enemies. So are the women there just like, manifesting this war in their heads? Anyways.
Storytelling wise it is very jumbled. After initially easily accepting the premise that she has to kill men, the main character decides killing = bad and she doesn't want to do it anymore. A justified decision to make, I guess, but everyone else around her (aside from one) almost too easily accept this change of heart considering they've been living these for seemingly forever. They then help her go back despite the fact that her leaving will like, implode this pocket dimension or something. I don't know what makes her so important that these people no longer care about existing since it seems her main motivation to return is that she has a friend (who is a man) back on earth.
The main character goes back to her real life, which still sucks since nothing about it has changed at all. And it seems she ends the movie with a: "Well I just have to keep moving forward" kind of attitude. Which is strange, because that doesn't actually solve any of the problems in her life. So you wonder what that character journey was even for, if she was just going to end up in the same place she started.
This movie makes you ask too many questions that you shouldn't have to. It feels like the barebones of a story that could have been interesting, unfortunately it never gets off the ground.
To be fair...
EggOrChicken11 February 2022
Watching this movie is like drinking from a metaphorical firehose. For a man it's difficult to watch because there's a lot of feminism (and then some), extremely pessimistic, and unrepresentative of all males. It's more an amalgamation of everything they dislike, which is more commonly found in an older generation of men today. To be fair, it does point out their own flaws, although it's hard to hear over all the yelling and complaining. In the end, I believe it does soften it's attack and the character finds her feet again.
Much to do about nothing. Period
fdsci31 January 2022
This plot is empty and slow and silly. The plot is for girls are shooting soldiers from an unknown war. Then one of the sides she doesn't wanna kill anybody anymore and the others are upset. Why are they killing all the soldiers it's never explained.
Just because you don't understand it...
victor-782-60839011 June 2022
... Doesn't mean it's bad. It just means you don't understand it.
That's why film is considered art. It's unfortunate that so many feel compelled to share their uninformed opinions. But that's what we do these days.
Ignore the reviews and try it.
That's why film is considered art. It's unfortunate that so many feel compelled to share their uninformed opinions. But that's what we do these days.
Ignore the reviews and try it.
Not a day in may
kosmasp1 November 2022
No pun intended - the movie is quite the slow burn and of course Mayday has nothing to do with a specific month, but ... well I don't think I have to explain this to you actually. The movie does give us a story that has more meaning to it than the surface reveals. The main characters have quite the ordeal to go through - and we follow them.
You have to be patient though - especially in the beginning the movie may lose you. So depending on your suspense of disbelief and your patience ... you may like this more or less than others. I think the score right now is way too low. While I can see that some have issues with "flaws" or the story and the characters themselves, it really is not as bad as it seems to be (if you only look at the rating) ... on the other hand I am known to rate too high, so there is that too.
You have to be patient though - especially in the beginning the movie may lose you. So depending on your suspense of disbelief and your patience ... you may like this more or less than others. I think the score right now is way too low. While I can see that some have issues with "flaws" or the story and the characters themselves, it really is not as bad as it seems to be (if you only look at the rating) ... on the other hand I am known to rate too high, so there is that too.
I am calling MAYDAY!!!
bananasonata25 March 2022
Don't waste your precious time. I watched the entire movie, so honestly and objectively, you are not missing much. It is almost like one of those weird dreams that doesn't really tell the story and keeps flashback with the same scenes. Well at least my dreams are more captivating. One star for effort and one star for matching the title so closely. What a mayday!
Based only on the 15 minutes I managed to get through...
floppylobster-86-28332820 January 2022
The worst parts of Sucker Punch mixed with the worst of Shadow in the Cloud, ripping off a bit of Moonrise Kingdom with a bit of Alice In Wonderland thrown in because that's never been used as a reference before right?
It's incredibly tiring listening to ominous lines that pretend to say something deep and profound while also trying to move the story forward at the same time. Every single line of dialogue has some double meaning about the character's 'journey', saying something but nothing at the same time.
"Can you bring the power back?" the man asks the girl. Yes, we get it. But that sort of stuff needs to be left in the drafts, not the screenplay.
"It's too dark, I can't see." says the bride in misery. "I can." says the girl going on the journey to find herself. It's all so on-the-nose. Like an amateur play from a first time writer.
I hope the writer/director gets better and learns from this. They've done well to get a film made and completed. Well done for that, and for trying to put some of your life experience into a film. But please consider the audience. Film is a populist medium. Leave the heavy handed stuff to personal poetry. Make an interesting and relatable story. You'll get far more people to see your film and get your message out.
It's incredibly tiring listening to ominous lines that pretend to say something deep and profound while also trying to move the story forward at the same time. Every single line of dialogue has some double meaning about the character's 'journey', saying something but nothing at the same time.
"Can you bring the power back?" the man asks the girl. Yes, we get it. But that sort of stuff needs to be left in the drafts, not the screenplay.
"It's too dark, I can't see." says the bride in misery. "I can." says the girl going on the journey to find herself. It's all so on-the-nose. Like an amateur play from a first time writer.
I hope the writer/director gets better and learns from this. They've done well to get a film made and completed. Well done for that, and for trying to put some of your life experience into a film. But please consider the audience. Film is a populist medium. Leave the heavy handed stuff to personal poetry. Make an interesting and relatable story. You'll get far more people to see your film and get your message out.
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