Recently launched in the vast Netflix catalog, “A Week Away” (directed by Rowan White) was consecrated by the public as a new version of “Camp Rock”. Packed with vibrant musical numbers, even the characters’ moments of introspection carry a message of hope and simplicity; perfect to relax from adulthood and return to the magical and pure time of summer camps. Despite this, I could not limit myself to the shallow display, and I tried to understand the deep message of this teenage film.
First of all, the main idea of the feature revolves around a troubled teenager going to a summer camp, where he will find faithful friendships, love and the longed-for feeling of belonging. Although it is a great production that left my heart warm, it was difficult to accept that this type of story does not convince me anymore, and I wondered if I would have that feeling if I re-watched my beloved High School Musical, since the theme has the same elements, which includes a heartthrob, a seemingly perfect young lady, a cute secondary couple and an ambitious antagonist. To complete, I found some reviews of the film that name our protagonist as Zac Efron of the new generation, and maybe it is. They talk about Kevin Quinn, a well-known figure of the Disney Channel audience who acted in “Bunk’d” and “Adventures in Babysitting” having, on Netflix, his first main role. In addition to it, the cast counts with the talent of Bailee Madison, a face that became famous even in childhood for productions such as “Just Go With It” and “Bridge to Terabithia” and, more recently in “Once Upon a Time” and “The Good Witch”. Other well-known figures, mainly by the North American public, stand out in the work, while for others, she was the gateway to the world of cameras.
This is what the synopsis reveals, but what I found was a much stronger message of hope and comfort – which came with a curiously polemic surprise, causing me to completely change the direction in which I planned to write this review. It turns out that the campaign to publicize the film omitted an important point that directs the film to a happy ending and great morale. The protagonist, Will, goes to a Christian camp. Why was that a big surprise? In my point of view, it’s because, for most Western youth, religion is not very present. For that reason, I didn’t expect to find words like “Jesus” and “the God’s Love” on the soundtrack. On the one hand, I had fun imagining Will as Wednesday in the 2nd “Addams Family” movie, where they lock her up in a cabin and force her to watch Disney movies in a camp full of blonde girls until she seems happy. As the film was running, however, I could not help reflecting on how religion was put into this production: as a door to welcome and love which depends on you to cross it. So, even though it’s a light and innocent film for a smaller age group than mine, I could not help feeling happy and hopeful for better days.
That said, I think it is enough to conclude by saying that “A Week Away” is the perfect type of film for times as dark as what the world is going through. My tip, therefore, is to take that candy you loved before high school, curl up on the couch, and know that this musical detox of negativity will make you smile for a long time!
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The article above was edited by Giullia Cartaxo.
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