Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Synopsis

Jane Schoenbrun’s film universe consists of queer teen angst, media culture, and pop aesthetics. The second feature made by Schoenbrun, I SAW THE TV GLOW, reached a larger audience, and with TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA, the fan circle will keep on growing. Like their previous film, a fixed memory and obsession with a pop cultural product is what drives the protagonist. Screenwriter and director Kris is a fan of a slasher series that has killed itself off by now. Countless sequels, remakes, video games and action figures later, Kris, who is queer, is supposed to fit the product into a “woke” zeitgeist. The project is more than a job for Kris. Since early childhood, she’s been fascinated by the first Final Girl of the series, Billy Preston, who is living a reclusive life in the woods of the original film location. Kris visits Billy for her research in the hopes of getting her to join the new project. The informal business meeting, with mountains of sweets and joints, becomes a journey to the mysterious meta world surrounding the killer “Little Death“ and Kris’ own desire. Schoenbrun’s protagonists are outsiders, nerds that escape to the colorful world of media narratives and meld with them, on a visual level too. The snowy summer camp is located by a panorama of pastel colored mountain landscapes. The snow is too fluffy, the view from the window ends on an obvious backdrop.. This isn’t a horror film, even though a lot of blood does flow, and it includes CARRIE iconography, but it’s as funny as Schoenbrun’s take on film production and the slasher genre in general. Blood splatters in fountains, the psychosexual vibrations can be found in the killer’s name – “la petite mort” is the key phrase – and there are also potshots at the misogyny and transphobia of the genre’s past. This is exactly what is supposed to be ironed out by a “queer perspective.“ At the online meetings, there’s also a “queer assistant“ with that very name tag. The slightly chaotic humming that underlies Schoenburn's film, which is embodied by Hannah Einbinder’s Kris, is reminiscent of her role in the TV show “Hacks,” without seeming like a rehash. Gillian Anderson as Billy Preston shines as the forgotten star, the guardian of secrets and the wearer of cool tunics. And yes, the two of them aren’t just an entertaining pair, they’re a sexy one too. TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA is great camp and a declaration of love to the power of pop culture and those who influence and love them. Clarissa Lempp (INDIEKINO MAGAZIN) Translation: Elinor Lewy

Genres

• Comedy
• Horror

Viewings