Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Never have I laughed and sobbed at a movie. Incredible symbolism, every part of this movie is a masterpiece. Oh and tiddies.

A film that begs for multiple viewings, because there's no way you're getting it the first time around. Its themes of sexual repression and the way our culture informs our sex lives is so potent and so real. Required viewing for anyone who says "I don't like sex scenes in movies"

Fantastic queer romance using horror language to talk about sex. There are no jump scares, but lots of blood. Hannah Einbinder puts in a hell of a performance, and Gillian Anderson brings a layered magnetism to every scene. Even the opening credits sequence is brilliant. 👨‍🍳💋🤌

8.4 - I had sky high hopes for this after I Saw the TV Glow was an all time favorite for me, & while it didn’t click for me completely, I still love the boundaries Jane Schoenbrun is willing to push to put out genuine, personal, & singular works.

My biggest issue is I just didn’t relate to this as much. I still acknowledge it may be odd how much I relate to ISTTG as someone outside the core community it is intended for, but I am familiar enough with the anxieties & otherness themes that I still found a lot for me there. This felt much more limited in its overall message to exclusively LGBTQ+ communities, and I don’t relate to a lot of the experiences here.

What I did relate to (& *love*) is the secondary commentary on how we relate to movies & media in general, especially the horror genre, how we can find comfort in the surreality & absurdity, & how Hollywood in general chooses to mishandle & misrepresent horror classics, cheaply using nostalgia & that comfort fans feel exclusively in the name of profit. And then how, that same idea, about our relationship to media, is reflected in our other aspects in life - something “bad” can be fun, like candy or b-horror, & even if we’re in a golden age of gummy candy, there’s still something out there for everyone. And most importantly, all of these preferences are valid.

Overall, it’s stylish & cheesy & gory & surreal & weird, & absolutely dripping in euphemism, metaphor, & symbolism - so if you hope to turn off your brain like you would for a standard slasher, try elsewhere. Unfortunately, while I still can (& do) recommend Schoenbrun’s other works (especially ISTTG) I’m much more hesitant for this one because it is still at its most core level meant for a very specific community. For the same reason, despite my confidence that I would get even more from it on a second watch, I don’t expect to come back to this one again, but I did very much enjoy this go around.

GILLIAN BE MY WIFE!!

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