A shy pre-teen goes to summer camp, where he meets new friends and hears about the Doctor, a camp legend that may be more than a myth. Directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio, MARSHMALLOW comes to Blu-ray via Toy Robot this month.
Marshmallow is technically a camp slasher. But it is a “camp slasher” in the same way that The Final Girls and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma are camp slashers. That is, a different sort of film that uses the tenets and expectations of the well-worn subgenres to tell a very different story, written by Andy Greskoviak, with a shift of focus, becoming its own sort of fascinating monster. It’s a film that might push off those wanting more standard narrative structures and reveals, but those willing to take revisionist tales with a decidedly more deliverable nature will be rewarded. Luckily, I’m one of those; fully into the odd world of Daniel DelPurgatorio’s Marshmallow (yes, a strange title too; more metaphoric than direct). I might be selling too high with the comparison films; those have much more discussion, and Marshmallow is more on the level, albeit with a different manner.
Morgan, a shy twelve-year-old boy, slightly bullied but mostly ignored, has dreams about a water-based incident. Well, more like nightmares. Each time they occur in the film, they are effective and surreal; although obvious dreams, they still hit a nerve of discomfort, hanging on like our own bad dreams and over the waking film. Well, after a loss, his overprotective mom sends him to summer camp. There, he has encounters with CJ, a bully neighbor, but makes friends with the other camp outcasts. Before you can say Jason, a campfire tale of The Doctor (in the fine tradition of Friday the 13th Part 2, Sleepaway Camp 2, Madman, and the Burning) scares the hell out of the new kid, stirring up him and his friends. Then it seems like The Doctor has arrived at camp. Is it real? Is it someone having fun? Or, with something else happening to Morgan, did he make him real?
I dare not give any details away, but it’s wonderfully told. Writer Andy Greskoviak unfolds the story expertly. From the setup and characters, questions of “where will this go?” arise, and Greskoviak begins to answer them with just the right pacing and turns, sending down certain paths with purposeful design. Additionally, I love the way he works with the clichés of camp characters, and camp itself. The central characters are fleshed out enough with big moments and pushes.
DelPurgatorio shoots the film magnificently, with cinematography by Filip Vandewal, setting an uncomfortable and purposeful drabness. There’s a feel of the lostness of summer camp, separation, and the darkness of it all. Much of the film is at night, and the setting is used well, with the looming trees and encroaching fog, especially when the Doctor (not quite a friendly Gallifreyan) is around. Iconic horror villain shots. While it is set in the now, there’s a full 80s feel. Little tech, big personalities. There’s a wonderfully low-key atmosphere, taking the genre in a different manner.
Loved this cast, fully in on pushing up the tropes, especially the counselors. Strong Jock Pierson Fode is a wonderful ass. Sweet, maybe too nice, girl Giorgia Whigham and sweet guy Maxwell Whittingon-Cooper make impressions. Cool to see Super Trooper’s Paul Soter as the lead counselor. As Morgan, the lead, Kue Lawrence is fantastic, having a true sweetness, playing the shy kid trying to find his place well. All the kids, including Miyako (credited then and in the features as Miya Chech), Max Malas, and Winston Vengapally, are great, sliding into their roles with ease. They have a lot of heavy lifting to do as it goes on, and find the ability to do so. And Corbin Bernsen gets a little above a cameo, as he wants to do.
Let’s start to wind up the film portion with something that has to be said, but is hard to say without giving away why the film works as it does: it has a twist that turns the whole film on its head. But you know I’m not going to burn your s’mores for you, so let’s see how to lightly toast that treat without setting aflame. It works in a beautiful way that brings everything we’ve seen in a different light, but it’s so out there it could put the fire out if mishandled; instead, it stokes that campfire flame. I’ll just stop there, but the way Act 3 plays out is wonderful, keeping you guessing and well-designed.
Marshmallow is some fluffy goodness in a different sort of camp slasher. With a well-executed twist and heaps of atmosphere, building on solid kid performances, it’s a film that was great as roasting marshmallows over the fire at Camp Wakunda (there, had to get a Mr. Stay Puft in there somewhere).
The Packaging & Presentation
Toy Robot, the new Arrow sub-label, presents Marshmallow on a single Blu-ray disc. The disc image is The Doctor. It sits within a clear Blu-ray case. It has a reversible sleeve with the movie poster on one side and an image of the Doctor from the film on the other. It has an O-sleeve for the movie poster, with a removable Obi-strip featuring the Toy Robot logo and film information. The video looks great, using the darkness and purposeful drabness with great detail. It’s sharp, and nothing is lost in the cooler palette. Audio is 5.1 and 2.0, and quite impressive, with an immersive outdoor camp environment. In English with English subtitles.
Features
Toy Robot loads fills the camp cabin with a full set of campers.
Commentary
Director Daniel DelPugatorio and actors Kue Lawrence and Kai Cech have a rousing discussion. There’s so much to discuss, and they do so well. Weird hearing the kids as older (Lawrence’s cracking voice!), but that happens when you hire teens.
Deleted scene
Doesn’t really add much, but nice (1m)
Filming the dream sequence
Nice look behind the scenes of the dinner dream in the water. (3m)
Growing Up Weird:
Daniel DelPugatorio talks about the challenges and triumphs of the film and how they relate to his life. (10m)
Everything Feels like a Haunted House
I wish writer Andy Greskoviak had been on more of the disc, as I loved hearing him speak. He speaks to pulling ideas from his life and all these similar things compounding and bouncing around in his head, along with the 12 being a deliberately chosen year when innocence is lost, and everything changes. (10m)
Summer Camp Shenanigans
Director DelPugatorio and actor Dylan Friendman talk about what it was like working as a kid actor on the set, the challenges of working with so many kids, and the location scouting and shooting. (11m)
Two short films from Daniel DelPurgatorio
Other 2012; 15m & Body(s); 2015; 18m
I found both of these pretty darn confusing and jumbled. But they had a great visual sense that could be honed for film, as we see in Marshmallow. I do love seeing the build ot a new feature voice. A weird note: in the first, the Ecto-1 siren and proton pack are used for sound effects. As a Ghostbusters fan, I found this odd, and I kept thinking my phone was going off.
Storyboards
11 pages of such
Behind-the-scenes
32 on-set production stills.
Script pages
90, the whole darned thing!
Trailers
Teaser 1 32s
Teaser 2 32s
Trailer 94s
Final Notes
Marshmallow is a surprising and engaging film, one I was fully on board with in every way. Check into the camp, but don’t expect Mr. Voorhees and his like; expect something different. Toy Robot offers a great print and a whole slew of features to explore the film in detail. In their first set of releases, the Arrow sublabel is making great strides as a new force in physical media.