Review: 'Camila Comes Out Tonight' Follows a Queer Feminist Teen

Queer films often involve coming-of-age narratives, yet they remain vitally important. Being a teenager brings enormous difficulties, especially moving to a new city; being a queer feminist in a sexist world can feel additionally challenging.

Directed and written by Inés Barrionuevo and co-written by Andres Aloi, Argentinian film "Camila Comes Out Tonight" ("Camila Saldrá Esta Noche") follows Camila (Nina Dziembrowski), who moves with her mother (Adriana Ferrer) and younger sister to Buenos Aires when her grandmother becomes ill. The film shows the obstacles of a queer feminist teen navigating a conservative society.

Camila enters a conservative private school, whereas she previously went to a liberal public school. The school director (Guillermo Pfening) informs Camila that the school does not promote political ideologies of any kind. As a result, he asks her to remove from her bag a green scarf, "a feminist symbol in Argentina" signifying support for abortion access.

Opinionated and outspoken, Camila possesses a quiet, yet fiercely determined, demeanor. She exudes defiance. We witness Camila's feminist activism throughout the film as she attends protests and engages in discussions about abortion and women not being able to vote until recently, criticizes the police and the racism of Christopher Columbus, and decries the colonialism of museums.

Throughout the film, Camila and her mother clash. Yet her mother remains supportive, telling Camila that she "admires" her because she doesn't care what other people think and she says what she wants.

It's exciting to see a confident, opinionated, and self-assured queer teen protagonist. Nina Dziembrowski inhabits the role with casual ease, imbuing the character with a feeling of authenticity.

Camila attends a party with new friends Lourdes (Laura Daniela Visconti) and Pablo (Frederico Sack). Pablo, who's openly gay, asks Camila if she has a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Pablo challenges stereotypes, telling a classmate, "Do you think that because I'm gay I'm going to want to act in your shitty play?" When Camila asks Pablo if he's come out to his parents, he sadly says his parents think of him like "an alien."

In the school bathroom, classmate Clara (Maite Valero) puts lipstick on Camila, a moment of surprising intimacy. Clara makes the heteronormative assumption that it will make Camila's boyfriend happy. At a club with Lourdes and Pablo, Camila sees Clara dancing to an infectiously catchy song. Alone, Clara flirts with Camila, and they kiss. They go back to Camila's house and have sex.

When Camila's mother finds a bra in the bedroom of Camila's grandmother, she assumes it belongs to Camila and that she had sex with a boy. Camila comes out and tells her mom she "was with a girl." Her mother, supportively, wants to talk about it. She thought Camila liked boys – which she does, as she kissed her classmate Bruno (Diego Sanchez). But Camila doesn't want to talk about her bisexuality with her mother.

Lourdes and Pablo remain incredibly supportive of Camila as she explores her queerness and endures bullying from classmates. But Clara's desperation to keep a secret hidden threatens her burgeoning romance with Camila.

I love the infusion of feminist activism in "Camila Comes Out Tonight." Unfortunately, the film remains inert and visually drab. The climax builds to a crescendo that should feel impactful, moving, and powerful. Yet, for me, it felt anticlimactic and lackluster.

The incredibly refreshing character of Camila and Nina Dziembrowski's good performance anchor the film. While smartly weaving intense issues throughout – queer identity, sex, bullying, racism, abortion, and sexual assault – I appreciated the film, yet kept yearning for more, hoping that "Camila Comes Out Tonight" would delve deeper and evoke more emotional resonance.

"Camila Comes Out Tonight" screens at OUTshine Film Festival on Friday, April 29, 2022.

This story is part of our special report: "OUTshine 2022". Want to read more? Here's the full list.