Jane Schoenbrun is quickly becoming one of the most fascinating filmmakers working today. Their debut We're All Going to the World's Fair isn't for everyone, but it teased a lot of promise, while their sophomore effort I Saw the TV Glow is one of the most visually and narratively unique films in recent memory. Now, Schoenbrun is back with their biggest film yet, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. With I Saw the TV Glow, Schoenbrun gave us a complex look at trans identity through the lens of shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Here, they take on the idea of the long running 80s slasher franchises, using them as a vessel to critique modern Hollywood while also delivering a surprisingly tender allegory for sex and sexuality post-transition.
The film follows Kris (Hannah Einbeinder), a queer filmmaker being given the reins of the iconic "Camp Miasma" franchise. Miasma is essentially a ripoff of Friday the 13th, and Kris is tasked with bringing the dormant series into the modern age with an origin story of its masked killer Little Death. In preparation for the project, she goes to meet the original film's now reclusive star Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson), who opens her up to a new world of desire and blood soaked insanity.
This is such an interesting film, as will likely be the case with all of Schoenbrun's work. I was instantly hooked by the meta look at resurrecting a slasher franchise, but the ways in which Schoenbrun tackles sex from a queer perspective is what really makes this film special. During a q&a after the film they described the film as essentially being about finding comfort and enjoyment in sex post-transition, and viewing the film's climactic moments under that lens makes everything come together quite well. Kris is a character that has struggled to figure things out sexually, but is given a place of comfort by Billy which allows her to finally be herself, echoing Schoenbrun's own experience of struggling to find enjoyment in sex whilst not feeling at home in their body. As a cis straight man, this isn't something relatable, but Schoenbrun is taking ideas very personal to them and bringing them to life in a fascinating way, allowing the audience to find some understanding through all the abstract.
One element that allows these themes to resonate is the pair of immaculate performances at the heart of the film. Einbeinder brings a kind of dorky awkwardness to a lot of the film's early moments, but it's the richly emotional moments towards the end that help sell Schoenbrun's thesis and connect with the audience. I wasn't prepared to be as moved by this as I was and that's largely thanks to how brilliantly Einbeinder sticks the landing. Similarly, Anderson's Norma Desmond-esque recluse toes the line of unsettling and deeply comforting in a way I'm still struggling to fully comprehend. She commands the screen but also has that sense of comfort that makes her feel natural for Kris to open up to. The ensemble surround the two, especially an unrecognizable Eva Victor, is a ton of fun, but really it's a two man show here and both are at the top of their game.
On top of the ideas of sex after transition, the film has a pretty nuanced look at how we view films under new lenses. It's a film that openly critiques the transphobic or homophobic elements of horror from the 80s and earlier, but refuses to chastise anyone who finds enjoyment in it. Much like Schoenbrun themselves, Kris is at her core a die hard fan of these types of movies, but still possesses the ability to look at them in a critical lens. It's easy to look at something like Sleepaway Camp nowadays and pick it apart, but it's more rewarding to analyze these films under new lenses than to write them off completely. Despite their flaws, 80s slashers are still a ton of fun, and that nostalgic fun winds up being a big piece of Kris finding comfort despite her aprehension to Camp Miasma's problematic elements.
One area of the film I loved was how detailed the fictional Camp Miasma franchise is. It is often a very clear Friday the 13th ripoff, but Schoenbrun has packed this with fictional lore whether it be VHS copies of the many movies, newspaper clippings, or even a Camp Miasma arcade game. That's only scratching the surface of the visual creativity, as this might be even more of a feast for the eyes than I Saw the TV Glow. The moments where Schoenbrun is recreating an 80s style slasher all look fantastic, but it's the dreamlike version of reality that they conjure that really wowed me. Billy's character is a painter and that is echoed by visuals that often favour beautifully painted backdrops that actual spaces, a touch that allows the film to fell wholly unique visually. My only gripe with the film's visuals is the digitally added blood in many moments. I love seeing actors covered in fake blood, but the CGI blood doesn't look great and also doens't feel authentic to the 80s style. The costumes, the lighting, the sets, basically everything else looks immaculate, and the design of Little Death manages to feel both authentic to the period while also just looking cool.
This won't be for everyone, but I don't think Schoenbrun will ever make something catering to the masses. While it is just as weird as I Saw the TV Glow, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma offers a much more upbeat tale. While their first two films came in the midst of transition and the calamity that comes with it, this one sees Schoenbrun post-transition and finding comfort in sex and sexuality. It's still a gruesome and at times unsettling watch, but one that offers a catharsis we haven't seen in Schoenbrun's work so far allowing this to be a film filled with weirdness that will have you feeling strangely upbeat by the end. Definitely recommend checking this out. 4.5/5
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