Make note, Avalon Fast is a filmmaker to keep an eye on, because Camp is a film that will attach itself to your soul. It’s a horror that is drenched in pure girl power, trauma, and witchy auras. Boasting some incredible cinematography, Camp is not just a pretty film but it explores themes about grief, growth, choosing to let it all go, the fear of returning to a place where you don’t belong anymore, and the desire to stay in a place where you finally feel safe. It looks at these themes in a way not often seen before which leaves you with such a profound sense of reason.
Utilising animation gives the film a depth and atmosphere that feels drenched in moonlight, yet hides a fire ready to consume you. Every shot feels carefully planned out to add to the eerie, almost Lynchian aura the film needs – making it dreamy yet incredibly disorientating at the same time. The aesthetics of Camp lends itself to the developing story and the witchy feel it needs to demonstrate the importance of sisterhood, feminine power, and the need to belong. The performances feel real and relatable; these girls have shared experiences steeped in trauma and it is how they found each other and set up this coven of healing.
Camp is an incredibly intimate film and feels like a window to the soul. Its themes of grief, growth, sisterhood and belonging will strike a chord with those who have battled with similar issues – it will make you feel a part of this world. Camp is a film that will open up old wounds, and yet close them by the end, leaving you in a sense of awe.
CAMP screened as part of The Final Girls Berlin Film Festival.
