In the summer of 2019, 21-year-old Avalon Fast convinced her friends and family to make a movie on Cortes Island, British Colombia. Now, almost two years later, this young Canadian filmmaker gets to see her first film premiere at Slamdance. Through the already complex trials of female friendships, HONEYCOMB creates a coming-of-age horror in which the uncertainty of the future (combined with themes from Lord of the Flies) looks at the psychological impact which comes from breaking away from society.

The very first scene helps establish the setting, the theme of innocence, and the underlying brutality which lies hidden just behind the image of youth. Opening on a pleasant enough image of summer, we see a girl lying in a peaceful prairie. She gazes at the grass and the flowers around her and just simply exists within nature. This image seems idyllic enough, but a piercing soundtrack ruins any tranquil thoughts the viewers might experience. The abrasive noises resemble a tortuous violin, or a rake being dragged across a metal table. Regardless of the origin of the sound, the pleasant image now becomes associated with discordant emotions.

As the story starts, a friend group of girls decides to change their typical small-town summer when Millie (Rowan Wales) approaches Jules (Jillian Frank) about breaking out of a life fueled by boredom. Millie proposes all five girls move in together. A wonderful (and typical) dream for young people to discuss, however (unbeknownst to everyone else) Millie has already taken the first step in securing their independence. A supposedly abandoned cabin sits far away from the town and soon makes the perfect sanctuary for anyone looking for an escape. Feeling unchallenged in their natural environments, the girls eagerly accept Millie’s offer. Not questioning the ownership of the home, the girls obediently agree to say goodbye to their families and boyfriends. Once moved in, they spend their nights sleeping in a cuddle-puddle, and during the day they develop their new community. Establishing guidelines and an all-red uniform, the girls settle into a comfortable routine.

At first, the new home exists as a safe place for friends, but eventually, the routines become more ritualistic. The girls believe in sharing everything (both physical items and emotions), but they also find revenge equally important. Soon alliances form, and suspicions arise, which lead to the friends questioning each other and even their decisions to live an isolated life. The story does not follow the typical projection of a narrative but seems more like a case study. We observe how people mentally and emotionally change when deciding their own rules and also what happens when corporal punishment becomes the norm.

A group of guys also spends time with the girls, but the boys like to get drunk and then talk about how they got drunk, while the girls look on with uninterested and even exasperated expressions. Throughout the film, the story will switch between the guys and the girls to show their very different existences. Alone at the cabin, the girls create a new life, while the boys seem very much rooted in the same old, same old. Even when one of the boys accidentally stumbles across a more philosophical or deeper thought, his friends discourage the idea and the brief moment of insight soon becomes forgotten. The contrast between the girl segments and the boy segments further demonstrates how the inhabitants of the cabin drift further and further away from their previous life and eventually hold little resemblance to who they once were.

HONEYCOMB has no professional actors or actresses in the cast, but the believable interactions come from the close-knit relationships which existed before filming even started. Fast gives thanks in the credits for all the (unpaid) work her friends committed in order for her to complete her vision. The story and atmosphere make the film a worthwhile watch and will hopefully bring more attention to Avalon Fast. The love and dedication from Fast (and her friends) will also (with any luck) bring more recognition and appreciation to indie films.

HONEYCOMB had its Slamdance World Premiere virtually today, January 27, 2022.