Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
A film maker (Hannah Einbinder) travels to the home of the reclusive star of an old slasher film (Gillian Anderson), to find that she is living on the set of the film - an old kid’s summer camp.
I was quite excited for this having enjoyed Jane Schoenbrun’s last effort, I Saw the TV Glow1. Once again it’s a one-of-a-kind, beautiful spectacle that sets out its core themes and runs with them in offbeat directions.
Maybe there are a few more compromises here. Does it want to be funny, scary, nostalgic, academic… well it’s all of those but not that strongly either way. I can see it’s a very personal film, and there are clearly some key moments that have been in the works for many years, but for whatever reason it sometimes shies away from its weirdness and plays it safe.
But I can’t be too hard on what is still a great piece of work. Einbinder and Anderson have a weird energy that draws you in and evolves in a satisfying way. As the narrative loses its grip on reality Schoenbrun gets to let the handbrake off, and it becomes a gorgeous vision of technicolor gore, matte paintings and snow.
“Little Death” is the slasher villain here, which in French is “petite mort” which describes that post-orgasm feeling. I’m not sure I got there as the credits rolled but it sure was a fun ride!