Madeline's Madeline

Madeline is sixteen and lives with her overprotective mother Regina in New York. She finds a creative refuge in an experimental theater group led by Evangeline. But when the director begins to incorporate Madeline's personal experiences into the play, the boundaries between reality and performance begin to blur. Josephine Decker's film MADELINE'S MADELINE (2018) is an intense psychological portrait of a young woman oscillating between artistic self-discovery and mental instability. The lead role is played by Helena Howard, whose debut was hailed by critics as one of the best teenage performances in film history. The film premiered at the 2018 Berlinale and has received numerous awards. With expressive camerawork and a fragmented narrative style, Decker creates an immersive experience that draws viewers deep into Madeline's inner world. MADELINE'S MADELINE is a challenging but rewarding work about the power of imagination and the dangers of artistic exploitation. Director Josephine Decker has created “a masterpiece that confuses the mind. One of the boldest and strongest American films of the 21st century.” (Indiewire)

Keywords

  • #AccelerateAction | Internationaler Frauentag 2025
  • Malena Filmus' Picks
  • Sooner Exclusives
  • Sooner Exclusives: Stories that Matter
  • Storyline: Coming of Age
  • Young Talent
  • Coming of Age
  • dysfunctional family
  • family
  • identity
  • Mental Health
  • theater
  • US Indie Film
  • women

Actors

  • Helena Howard
  • Molly Parker
  • Miranda July
  • Okwui Okpokwasili
  • Sunita Mani

Director

  • Josephine Decker

Drama, Independent


1h 33min


16

EN


FR

NL

DE

EN

United States of America
2018
Madeline is teenager who loves to act on stage. She fights with her mother and suffers from a illness which makes her believe she's a cat.

Madeline is teenager who loves to act on stage. She fights with her mother and suffers from a illness which makes her believe she's a cat.


Madeline is sixteen and lives with her overprotective mother Regina in New York. She finds a creative refuge in an experimental theater group led by Evangeline. But when the director begins to incorporate Madeline's personal experiences into the play, the boundaries between reality and performance begin to blur.


Josephine Decker's film MADELINE'S MADELINE (2018) is an intense psychological portrait of a young woman oscillating between artistic self-discovery and mental instability. The lead role is played by Helena Howard, whose debut was hailed by critics as one of the best teenage performances in film history. The film premiered at the 2018 Berlinale and has received numerous awards.


With expressive camerawork and a fragmented narrative style, Decker creates an immersive experience that draws viewers deep into Madeline's inner world. MADELINE'S MADELINE is a challenging but rewarding work about the power of imagination and the dangers of artistic exploitation.


Director Josephine Decker has created “a masterpiece that confuses the mind. One of the boldest and strongest American films of the 21st century.” (Indiewire)

Festivals

Cast & Crew