Camino stars Zoe Bell as Avery Taggert, a photojournalist on assignment in the jungles of Colombia during 1985 with a gun toting group claiming to be missionaries, but then she sees the truth. Will she live long enough so the world will know as well? I will watch Bell in anything so I put this movie in my queue with no questions asked, but I do not love all of Bell’s movies. If they are bad, I have no qualms about warning people to stay away: Game of Death, Paradox, Bitch Slap. If they are only mediocre, but I enjoy them, I am forthright: Mercenaries. When they are great, I am unashamed and shout it from the rooftops: Raze, Angel of Death, Grindhouse: Death Proof (not counting bit parts in Oblivion, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood).
Camino is a rooftop movie, but it was poorly reviewed probably because the film was too artsy fartsy with its complex narrative structure for people just looking for an action film and had too much action for someone looking for a dramatic survivalist thriller. It is not a perfect film, but it is way better than people give it credit for. Think Rear Window/A Private War meets Deliverance/Heart of Darkness psychotic, megalomania set in the jungle when you think of Camino, and if that movie sounds appealing, definitely check it out. I watched it twice: initially streaming on Netflix then the second time, I paid $4.99 on Amazon to rent and stream it. No regrets! It gets better on repeat viewing. If I was paying closer attention, I would not have been surprised because Josh C Waller directed Raze, which is better for action lovers, and Camino, which is targeted more towards drama lovers.
Visually Camino is really beautiful, colorful and memorable. People actually complained about the beginning, which is how I knew that they did not get it. The audio is of an award ceremony. There is a slideshow of the protagonist’s best photographs. Then it shifts from the slideshow to Avery running through the jungle, which invites the viewer to compare and contrast the protagonist’s life when she is on assignment with when she is not. It is one of the rare times that I did not mind that the film used the how we got here trope. The opening sequence actually offers two plausible explanations to the viewers regarding Avery’s perception of unfolding events and specifically two to three characters without feeling like a gimmick although I would not be surprised if people still felt that way. The distinct visual style makes it stand out from Bell’s usual films.
Camino’s jagged editing style and metallic, synthetic soundtrack pair nicely to set up the distortions in the perception of the protagonist and her foil, the villain, a character that probably is the main reason that people are unable to cosign the film. I found myself wondering why it took so long for him to show his true colors considering that the group was together for a considerable amount. Sure I could rationalize that Avery’s presence is a catalyst to escalating his madness because he was at risk of being exposed, but his obsession with the titular pendant turned metaphor was definitely new. I could offset my doubts with the shady company that he keeps that we find out more about as the movie unfolds. When one responds, “I don’t care” to a moral question, it made sense. Some knew, and that is why they were with him, and others did not notice because they were naïve. Still the villain needed some work because you can probably see him coming a mile away. Otherwise I enjoyed the parallels between the protagonist and the villain: reasons for their vision distortions, gun versus camera, accuracy in hitting target.
Kreng made Camino’s soundtrack, and the best way that I can describe it is an MRI machine discovers rhythm, which is actually a compliment, particularly given my love of MRI machines—not being sarcastic. If you are an American with medical insurance and still have to jump through hoops to get an MRI, you too would treasure every deafening noise that it produces. The soundtrack effectively ratchets up the tension without being overbearing and is a welcome alien contrast to the lush natural setting of the film. Other than Bear McCreary, Kreng may be my next favorite modern composer.
Bell also deserves praise because she really does some acting in this film. It takes forty minutes before Camino has a fight, but I was never bored with her character. The film had a lot of nice touches in the film: her camaraderie with her boss, her friendly bar fly persona with strangers, including the nice touch of her brief commiseration with a fellow patron off screen, her vulnerability with her husband, her cautious, taciturn friendliness with the group and her gradual transformation from measured panic to calm brutality when faced with having to survive should not be taken for granted. She did a good job and takes her character and us on a complex emotional journey. Kristin Stewart blinks, mumbles and speaks at a whisper and gets accolades. Just give Bell her due. She is no Meryl Streep, but she is more than a stunt actor or an action star in this film.
How was the action in Camino? Great! It was just realistic enough to create dramatic tension, but just unrealistic enough for a viewer to enjoy the violence. One character screams, “This fucking white bitch can’t kill me.” Um, ella si que puede. Let’s hear it for the forty eight percent! Sure the film traffics in the dwindling party trope in which once death is an option, each character succumbs, and the only real surprise is who is next, but how and killed by whom becomes just as riveting because while the villain’s cover story seems superficially realistic, as the movie unfolds, it sounds less ridiculous given how people begin to drop like flies. I really enjoyed that each death was distinct.
If Camino lost me, it was the significance of the election. I understood that the eighties in Colombia was a time of great violence because of cocaine and drug trafficking, but the election seemed to signify a lifting of tyranny and the people really fighting back against corruption, but because I am an ignorant American, it was mostly lost on me whether or not that was intentional or even what happened. Please feel free to drop me a line of explanation if you know more. I also got the vibe of condemning a new type of colonialism in the guise of benevolence and charity.
I loved Camino. I do not think that it deserves a third viewing, but it is definitely worth at least two, which is more than most movies deserve. Congratulations to Waller and Bell for successfully teaming up for a second film, and please don’t let the snooty haters dissuade the team from reuniting as many times as you want. I would happily go to the theaters and pay for a ticket. It may not be perfect, but it is definitely above the fray.