Camp

Reeling from two devastating tragedies for which she feels responsible, Emily (Zola Grimmer) takes refuge at a summer camp for trouble youth, where she has been offered a position as counsellor. She’s taken aback by the camp leader’s Christian vibes, but she’s embraced by the other female counsellors, who have been coming here for years and like nothing better than to party. As she gets to know them better, she’s introduced to their secrets, and inducted into their coven…

There seems to be a wave of strong work coming out of the Gulf Islands these days (see also Lucid, Inedia, Blue Heron… the list goes on). Add to these the second feature written and directed by Avalon Fast (Honeycomb), which wraps its tale of grief and catharsis in the subtly supernatural aura and keeps us guessing about where it’s headed.

Fast is an undeniable talent, a filmmaker who knows how to tap into repressed emotions and how to reflect the simmering impact of trauma cinematically. She has made a very unusual teen witch film… It feels more concerned with conveying something that’s emotionally true than anything else. It’s a story of overcoming grief and forgiving yourself, guided by both a vulnerable performance from Zola Grimmer and Fast’s confident sense of tone and space.

Brian Tellerico, rogerebert.com

A thoughtful, subtly dangerous film which denies viewers the reassurance of a conventional ending.

Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film

A film that’s not only about witches, but about battling to keep your head above water and the choices you make to keep yourself alive. Underneath the beautiful images and hypnotic performances is a hard, raw honesty about the realities of grieving.

Mary Beth McAndrews, Dread Central