Moments Become Memories When They Sting

When life challenges you, you grow. It’s the things that hurt you that you remember. It’s the setbacks that make you who you are. This is the main takeaway of the new film of Madmax, the premium spicy olive oil brand celebrating this mantra.

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'It might sting. But the senses need sensations.' Thus begins the spirited film for Mad Max, a Belgian startup that markets premium spicy oil. Founder Max De Cock's penchant for intense flavors resulted in first home-made infusions in 2009, only to grow into a full-fledged love project on the side after enthusiastic feedback from friends and acquaintances. The project continued to grow, and for six months Max took the step to pursue the dream full-time. Meanwhile, Mad Max is available in 200 stores and 50 restaurants.

“Intensity, that's what my product is 100% about,” Max says, ”not only in terms of spiciness but also in terms of pure flavors. The layering of Mad Max is something that is crucial to me. Not just the fire in the mouth before the fire, but an experience with excess of impulse after impulse. When the time came for the first brand film, that aspect was the core of the strategy: how do we transcend the one-dimensional 'our spicy oil brand is really spicy' that we see our competitors doing, and tell a bigger story about living a richer life?

Together with director Niklas Hugo Schwärzler, production house Fledge narrowed down the concept to a script that gave enough freedom to let the film do its thing. 'We wanted to tell a story that's not just about the product on a tactile level, but also functions as an inspiration,' says the director. 'We wanted to show people the richness of the moments in life that 'sting,' that they stick with you or cause you to grow as a human being.'

The team traveled from the coast through the interior of Belgium to the High Fens to film the scenes, and were given every creative freedom to fill in the script's guiding principles. A freedom Max gave the production company entirely within the philosophy of the film. 'Just as the film preaches to 'go for it,' Max also jumped into the project with both feet, not always knowing where the journey would take us. And that's rare,' says Roeland Jeangout, executive producer at Fledge. 'When you as the owner of your brand have the baseline tattooed on your body specifically for the film, you are genuinely 'mad.'