Acampamento do Pecado

This film really feels like one of those festival hits that plays best in the festival setting. It addresses some interesting things around religion and sex, and the main character is likeable. It's a bit slow at times though. Worth a watch, but it's going to appeal most to fans of indie and arthouse films or perhaps someone who has left the Catholic faith and deeply relates to the topic.

Being homeschooled and a christian growing up in a very humble lifestyle and household, I appreciate the message they were trying to get across in this movie. You grow up with so many restrictions and when you're out of that fearful environment it truly is a wake up call. Knowing that people have been doing what you have been forbidden to do for years and they are alright. I like seeing movies like this where I can relate somewhat to the plot. It wasn't really amazing or the best movie I've seen but it was a good message I think. I have absolutely no idea why it was rated R since it was pretty tame for what else comes out these days but maybe I'm wrong? Anyway I loved Natalia Dryer, even though she's well in her twenties, she can still pull off a teenager pretty well.

Disappointing that it's sort of just another coming of age movie, taking the tropes and side characters that you usually see in those movies and using them pretty ordinarily here. With the premise it had, I really wish it had been funnier, crazier, edgier, or just a little less predictable.

It falls into that annoying category of dramadies where it's neither particularly funny or particularly dramatic (I call it Entourage Syndrome, named after how lazy that show could be when it frequently didn't commit to either comedy or drama).

Most of the performances are okay, and the brief length keeps it from being too dull, but it was a slight disappointment, even if not bad.

Oh: and it doesn't capture the time period nearly as well as something like Ladybird. Sorry to compare it to that, but overall that was a much faster, funnier, more emotional, and far better paced movie in general.

An honest, funny & thoroughly relatable account of a young girl's sexual awakening, Yes, God, Yes is short, simple & straightforward in its approach, and is brilliantly led by Natalia Dyer's sweet & amusing performance. There is a sincerity in this coming-of-age portrayal and a proper understanding of that awkward teenage phase which makes this film both fun & evocative.

Written & directed by Karen Maine in her directorial debut, the story is adapted from her short film of the same name but the larger canvas & longer runtime offer her an incentive to spread out the plot, create new situations & explore some more themes. However, Maine decides to not venture out further which in turn makes this film look like an overly long version of the more compact & effective short.

Much of the hilarity comes from our very own relatability to the protagonist's journey after she discovers masturbation, experiences sexual urges & lustful desires for the first time and the feeling of guilt, confusion & awkwardness that comes with it and is further exacerbated by her Catholic teachings. And the authenticity with which Dyer articulates her character's temptations & inner turmoil is by all means praiseworthy.

Overall, Yes, God, Yes commences Karen Maine's directorial career on a promising note and is a fascinating depiction of a young girl trying to figure herself out through her curiosities & observations while also serving as a delightfully nostalgic trip down memory lane. Those who have already seen the short may not find anything new or refreshing about it but for the rest, this brief, breezy & brill piece of work is definitely worth a shot.

If you watched The Miseducation of Cameron Post, this film is almost identical, only much more about hypocrisy and no lesbianism. The Kirkos christian retreat depicted in the film actually exists, only it's called Kairos, and the story in the movie seems to be rooted at least partially in an actual experience. I was really expecting this to have been a book adaptation, just like Cameron Post, but it wasn't.

Now the film is pretty good. I don't think they could have found a better lead than Natalia Dyer, of Stranger Things fame, as she seems to be the kind of girl that got forward in life by furrowing her brows and looking innocent. I mean, there is a scene when she claims to be 21 to get a drink in a bar and no one believes her, which I found hilarious as she's 24 in the film. Basically the whole premise of the movie is that most people are hypocritical, expecting from others what they themselves don't do. It's a whole film of people being phony, spreading lies, using terms they don't understand and then the actual "climax" is not the last scene, which was kind of pointless really, it was the bar scene, where the bar owner and the Christian schoolgirl exchange ridiculous Catholic reasons why they thought they're going to hell.

Bottom line: a film that is direct in depiction, but subtle in character emotions and development. Perfect casting choice for the lead and most acting was very good. Overall, a better than average film. I liked it better than The Miseducation of Cameron Post, to which it resembles way too much.