Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

The films of director Jane Schoenbrun are singularly unique and queer in a way that is all-encompassing. Not only do they feature queer characters, Schoenbrun's films are "queer" in every sense of the word: the plots walk twisty, sometimes dark paths that stray off the straight, narrow, and comfortable. They explore ambiguity and confusion in a way that is off-putting to some viewers. 

This is Schoenbrun's third feature-length film. Their first film, We're All Going to the World's Fair, wasn't my jam. I was intrigued by the premise but found the movie to be too slow and boring (I'll have to revisit it some day to see if my opinion has changed). However, Schoenbrun's second film, I Saw the TV Glow, was a revelation. Schoenbrun captured the agony of not being able to transition and denying one's truth with devastating clarity (I'm not trans myself, but I can still, ya know, empathize with these themes on some level). Justice Smith's performance as Owen, a person who denies themselves so thoroughly they metaphorically and literally become unable to breathe, was heartbreaking.

Now, Schoenbrun returns with a very different vibe: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is a film about what happens when you let go and give in to all that you desire. What happens when you honor your truth. Camp Miasma is just as queer, but more uplifting and hopeful than I Saw the TV Glow (this is not a strike against TV Glow, which is an excellent film).

Hannah Einbinder plays Kris Williams, an up-and-coming film director in her late-20s hired to reboot the "Camp Miasma" horror franchise (think: Sleepaway Camp). Kris is a horror nerd who jumps at the chance to make a meaningful film that honors her love of the franchise while addressing the homophobic and transphobic aspects of the original films. 

She is invited to stay with Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson), the reclusive actress who played the "final girl" in the first Camp Miasma film and never returned to the series. Billy lives at the abandoned camp where the first movie was shot (in a pretty damn cozy cabin, I might add). While Kris is just honored to be in this woman's presence, she also has a bit of an agenda: to convince Billy to star in the reboot.

The premise of the Camp Miasma films is that there is a killer named "Little Death" (played by Jack Haven) who wears an air vent on their head and carries a rusty spear they murder people with. We get to watch the first Camp Miasma film, which starred a young Billy Presley as "Squeak", a virginal camp counselor spending her first summer at Miasma surrounded by older, more experienced counselors. One night, counselor Will (Zach Cherry in a hilarious role) regales everyone around a campfire with the tale of Little Death.

Little Death was a camper years ago at Camp Miasma. They were nonbinary/genderfluid, choosing to sometimes present as a boy and sometimes present as a girl. Of course, Will tells the story in the most transphobic way possible, calling the camper a "total freakhouse" (this scene is played for laughs, making fun of the over-the-top transphobia of the camp counselors). When the camper shows up at the lake in a bikini one day, the others campers drown them and the camp covers up the murder. But the camper--now known as "Little Death"--returns to take revenge on their tormentors.

If you're thinking to yourself, "Hey, isn't "little death" a euphemism for an orgasm?"...well you've now figured out one of the major themes of Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma! Kris confesses to Billy that she is "bad at sex" and can't climax with another person without being far away in her own mind. Billy asks where she goes and Kris explains that she imagines herself as a camper at Camp Miasma. In a tender scene, Billy and Kris snuggle by the fire and Kris confesses to Billy that she imagines herself as "a victim" and "a slut" whose tits bounce as she runs away from a killer. Kris is embarrassed that these fantasies are silly and misogynistic. But Billy says "You can be that with me". 

The final act of the film is an extended sexual fantasy that mixes reality and fiction in which Kris lives out her dream. At one point, after being confronted by Little Death, she says "what do I do now" before stripping off her clothes and running through the woods, boobs bouncing and nipples perky, becoming the bimbo-victim of a horror film. Camp Miasma is a celebration of how films, including "problematic" films, help us build our identities and discover our desires--usually at a young age. I Saw the TV Glow had similar themes. In fact, all of Schoenbrun's work explores the importance of seeing oneself represented in media, especially at a young age.

The connection between horror film and sexual fantasy is one I totally get. Horror movies are scary and thrilling--they raise your heart rate and make you sweat and grab on to your sweetheart and hold them close. Orgasm is an act of surrender, as is death--the ultimate letting go and giving in. In the climactic moment, the camera stays on Kris's face as she reaches her little death...and let's just say that Meg Ryan's fake orgasm in When Harry Met Sally is a pathetic pantomime of the real thing compared to Hannah Einbinder's. 

There are so many other themes that are explored in Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. I've just focused on the one I understood the best. The film is not only about embracing one's sexual desires, but about intimacy, surrender, reclamation, anxiety, overthinking, "problematic" media, watching and being watched, and so much more. It's a fantastically meta film done in a way that, as long as you give yourself over to it, feels seamless. I love that when Kris walks through the abandoned camp, the trees transition from real to CGI to painted and back again. 

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is a must-watch for anyone who can relate to being stuck in their own heads and struggling to embrace a fully bodied experience. Whether you're trans, cis, or somewhere in between, there's something for you in this film. Between this movie and I Saw the TV Glow, I've seen a lot of people say things to the effect of "I respect it, but it's clearly not made for me." I call bullshit. Yes, Schoenbrun's films are by and for trans people, but, believe it or not, cis people can relate to trans people and even...learn things from them about their own bodies! *Gasp* For example, gender-affirming care is something cis people do all the time! To be crystal clear: this is not me trying to take something away from trans people by saying I relate to Schoenbrun's films. It's me acknowledging the shared human experience of bodies, gender, sex, and self. 

I'm so happy a film like Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma exists and that it celebrates what life looks like on the other side of self-acceptance. May we all embrace our inner Little Death.

Grade: A