Mad Rush Review [MIFF 2026]

A tight ride that feels like an odd ‘day in the life’ with some terrible decisions

When you have just lost your job, and your best friend has let you know they’re planning to move out. The economic question of just how you could make it all work begins to rise. If you were already in a state of questioning your life, it’s sure to send your head spinning. But then you get a call saying your ATO account has been apparently hacked. That’s a Mad Rush. What happens when it all begins to feel like it’s falling apart? 

This MIFF premiere-funded film, which debuted at MIFF 2026, has all the existential moments about life and the feeling of being young yet old that can break many. There’s a sense of being lost created by the lead’s performance, Madisha (Senuri Chandrani), and by a mix of slow-mo and freeze-frame cuts. Life feels fractured, and the techno soundtrack ads heighten the sense of building collapse. 

The ATO call Madisha gets on a day she’s already dealing with plenty of bad news is obviously a scam. There is an odd sense of disbelief at a 27-year-old buying into the scam, but I guess there’s a point to the credibility of “see, everyone can fall for these, under the right pressure.” And Madisha does. 

As she makes her way around the city, she’s told to do all manner of red-flag-instructed moments, and she’s guilted into going along with them. Prodding at her inner turmoil of being a good person or not, and pleas to do the right thing to protect her friends and family seem to catch her at every moment she may have clicked into reality sooner.

At just 76 minutes, this is a tight ride that feels like an odd ‘day in the life’ with some terrible decisions rather than the Uncut Gems feeling the title and synopsis may scream. But there’s little to carry even this short runtime, as prolonged montages of running and attempts to showcase Madisha’s psyche made me feel like they were used to pad the film’s length and had moved beyond what they were initially intended for.

Mad Rush is at its best when Madisha is simply having that ‘day in the life.’ She has a sweet conversation with an Uber driver about life decisions and hurdles; bumps into a really cute couple in a church; talks about the sense of her ancestors rolling over in their graves as she struggles to eat hot food. All of these reminded me more of a true slice-of-life anime, and the heart of these—the love for people, the different stories people carry in Melbourne—made for a film that, in small moments, feels like an oddly sweet love letter to the city, and these were the standouts.

It’s also worth mentioning just how frustrating and almost unrealistic it is to watch a character run around Melbourne and never use a tram. Especially a film in which they’re predominantly within the CBD and the free tram area. It makes no sense! What are we doing, Madisha?!

[Dylan attended a screening thanks to the Melbourne International Film Festival]