Maddie’s Secret

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Director: John Early
USA, 2025, 98 min, DCP

A beautiful food influencer’s perfect life unravels when her rising fame awakens an adolescent struggle with an eating disorder.

The prodigiously talented comedian and actor John Early deftly balances all-out satire and tender melodrama in his feature directorial debut, with an infectious love of film artifice that owes as much to Douglas Sirk as But I’m A Cheerleader. Early embodies Maddie, a bright-eyed dishwasher at a trendy culinary company who is unexpectedly promoted as one of their content creators. But the flashy new role comes at a cost, pulling her long suppressed eating disorder back to the center of her life. Moving with the spirit of a campy made-for-TV movie, the film pairs sharp parody with genuine feeling, allowing moments of real sincerity to emerge beneath its bold, stylized surface. -AB

In English

Prior Screenings: 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, 2026 New Directors/New Films

Cast & Crew
Writer: John Early
Producers: Harris Mayersohn, Luca Intili, John Early
Key Cast: Kate Berlant, Eric Rahill, John Early, Claudia O'Doherty, Conner O'Malley, Vanessa Bayer, Chris Bauer, Kristen Johnston
Director of Photography: Max Lakner
Production Designer: Gordon Landenberger
Composer: Michael Hesslein
Editor: Danny Scharar 

Distributor: Magnolia Pictures

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