Gotham Awards Revue: Schoenbrun's "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma" is a queer dream cum nightmare
Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 4:00PM by Joanna Sodeman-Taylor

Jane Schoenbrun’s latest feature was, in my mind, one of the seminal hits of the summer. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma's warm critical reception following its premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it opened the Un Certain Regard section, was a joy, especially since reviews maintained roughly the same level of enthusiasm once it hit theaters in August. Indeed, winning the Queer Palm over buzzier, Oscar-hungry titles like Club Kid, Coward, and La Bola Negra feels even more impressive now than it must have back in May. Its three Gotham nominations feel similarly miraculous, and I couldn’t be happier for Schoenbrun and her team getting their flowers for this film I adore.
Truth be told, I'm not expecting it to win any of these categories - Feature, Director, and Lead Performance for Gillian Anderson - but any recognition of great cinema is worth celebrating. If nothing else, it has one of the best titles of any movie this year. Thankfully, of course, it has so much more...


