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Camping Trip
Canada 2022
produced by Leonardo Fuica, Demian Fuica for Fuica Productions, 8Cube
directed by Demian Fuica, Leonardo Fuica
starring Leo Zola (= Leonardo Fuica), Caitlin Cameron, Alex Gravenstein, Hannah Forest Briand, Michael D'Amico, Jonathan Vanderzon, Ben Pelletier, Gabriel Desjardins, Miguel Fuica, Irma Adriazola
written by Leonardo Fuica, music by Michel DeMars
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!
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It's 2020, and the restrictions of the first Covid 19 lockdown have
only just been lifted, if only a bit - when befriended couples Enzo (Leo
Zola) and Polly (Caitlin Cameron), and Ace (Alex Gravenstein) and Coco
(Hannah Forest Briand) decide to go on a camping trip together, basically
to get away from all the madness for a bit, and also from nosey neighbours
and news programs filled with nothing but increasingly more horrible news
about the pandemic - and at first everything's going great, too. Not
bothered by anybody and with no cellphone service, the friends party hard
but also discover a new-found appreciation for nature, for friendship, for
each other - and they even have group sex as a result. But then they find
the bullet-riddled, dead body of Doc (Ben Pelletier), and next to him, a
formula for a vaccine to cure Covid. And in one of their tents they,
totally surprisingly, find a bag containing one million in cash. But what
to do now? The right thing to do was report the whole thing to the police
of course - but then, all of them are strapped for cash at the moment,
especially with the economy where it is. Plus delivering a formula for a
Covid vaccine could make them heroes - so after much deliberation they
decide to keep the money and sell the formula. Thing is, Doc's bullet
wounds weren't self-inflicted, he tried to cheat a couple of heavies,
Orick (Michael D'Amico) and Billy (Jonathan Vanderzon), out of their
money, and ultimately paid the price - but not before hiding the money in
one of our heroes' tents. Thing is, Orick and Billy are still out looking
for the money that they feel is rightfully theirs, and it's not long
before they pretty much stumble upon our youngsters' camp. And while
they're playing it nice first, it's only a matter of time before they
resort to brute force to get what they want. Our heroes of course bravely
fight back, but this might be a battle that only causes all the more
problems when won ... For the most part this film plays like a
routine, if well-written, well-structured and well-crafted thriller, with
all the suspense, the shocks and the surprises in the right places - but
it's after what in many films of its ilk would be considered the finale
that the film unfolds its true potential, adding extra dimensions to what
has gone on, and slowly transforming into a cynical meditation on human
nature ... without ever leaving thriller territory. And the mise-en-scene
of what might be the second finale that defies genre conventions with the
camera just doing several 360° turns with a relative (but intentional)
disinterest to follow the action, really underlines the transcension of
the film. But that said, a relatable ensemble cast keeps things grounded
while the wonderful stretch of land this was filmed in sure adds to the
film's pretty impressive overall impact.
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