Diractors is an ongoing series in which Hassle writer Jack Draper examines films, new and old, whose directors are better known for their work in front of the camera.

I wanted the vibe of the movie to be when you’re at a sleepover and you’re like, “Should we choreograph a dance?” -John Early on Maddie’s Secret 

Maddie’s Secret is so much more than simply a beloved comedian making their breakthrough as a filmmaker to further bolster comedic talents. Instead, John Early is joyously arriving when indie cinema is desperate for an exciting new voice. In a time of irony-pilled sensibilities, the movie rejects any sort of qualities that resemble parody in its references that are otherwise uncool; think social-issue movies or Douglas Sirk melodramas, or even an exact replication of Naomi Watts’s characterization in Mulholland Drive. These references are tailor fit to Maddie’s Secret, but reworked in a way that genuinely meets the moment. I think if teenage girls see this, it can move the needle in terms of self image, something that you can’t say or think about when watching a majority of films made with a small budget and a sense of identity. Above that, it’s actually got the chutzpah to say what it means without worrying about ambiguity, even with a mom figure (the great Kirsten Johnson) that makes Jeanette McCurdy’s mom look like a loving parent. This sort of balance is really remarkable to see– on top of being the online food content pipeline satire that nobody knew they were craving. 

Maddie (Early) is a young woman with an enviable existence in Los Angeles who aspires to share her passion of cooking with the world. However, when she has the opportunity to work as an on-camera contributor at the largely heartless digital food content site Gourmaybe, Maddie discovers that her happy life is precarious, her insecurity reawakening her long-dormant battle with bulimia. Her wild inner circle allows Maddie feel the highest highs and lowest lows of the online food content creation, feeding into a pressure to stick out in our social media algorithm. Her best friend, Deena (Kate Berlant), lives life out loud with the projection of being a good friend, but can’t help but make things about her. Maddie’s boss, Zach (Connor O”Malley), is a control freak who’s only interested in social media views and pitting two talented cooks against each other. The other online food creator (Claudia O’Doherty) is nasty, but never knows the true Maddie; she’s just the person who creates the content for recipes to be watched but not replicated. Her husband (Eric Rahill) sees no signs of her eating disorder, only seeing her for her online potential as he works in editing content. 

Early knows, and wants us to know, that Maddie’s struggle is full of contradictions. As a girl with an eating disorder, she finds joy in cooking and recipe development. Early finds a solution to having it all as a debut filmmaker, making Maddie’s Secret into a love letter to the kind souls following their passion and a rejection of content creation’s odd turn into infantilization. In one hilarious scene, Maddie, the next cook at Gourmetmaybe, finds herself trying burritos served out of car washes to beef up social media views. If cooking food isn’t enough for Maddie’s online presence, then eating is a chance to be enough even when there’s no escape from her dreadful bulimia. Later in the movie, Maddie joins a group of girls (including Julie, played by the underrated Vanessa Bayer) who are brought to a hospital specializing in “rehabilitating” those with eating disorders. They eventually discover the online phenomenon of Mukbangs, a gargantuan sized piece of content in which someone eats a large meal on camera in its entity, ASMR and all. It’s a short moment, but the inclusion is important. Early knows the content farm is slowly but surely moving past the need for Maddie’s earnestness to teach others how to cook. She’s not even on the Food Network, but imagines herself as someone who the camera loves in the current moment that she is replaceable– as a content creator, but also as a woman. As for John Early: filmmaker, he can’t be held down by anything. It’s liberating to see his vision in full clarity while being in on the joke. Early’s comedic sensibility is perfectly fitted to whoever his scene partner is.

Maddie’s Secret
2026
dir. John Early
98 min.

Now playing @ Coolidge Corner Theatre, Alamo Drafthouse Boston Seaport, and AMC Boston Common