''Solo'' is a 2013 Canadian mystery thriller film directed by Isaac Cravit and is the first film released under
Shock Till You Drop's US film distribution branch. First released on August 29, 2013 in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
, it stars
Annie Clark as a teenager who finds herself terrorized after she is left alone in the woods for a two-night
camp counselor
A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part of the academi ...
initiation process.
Of his inspiration for the film, Cravit mentioned that he was moved to create ''Solo'' after a friend of his told him a campfire story in which a girl looks through her summer camp photos to discover that an unknown person had taken pictures of her while she slept.
Synopsis
Gillian (
Annie Clark) is a teenager who reluctantly takes a job as a camp counselor at a
summer camp
A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer summer vacation, months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part ...
. Before she can take the job, Gillian is informed that she must prove her survival skills at a nearby island on the camp's property which is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a former camper. She's reassured that it's safe, but is put on edge when she comes across Ray (
Daniel Kash
Daniel Joshua Kash (born April 25, 1959) is a Canadian actor and film director.
Life and career
Kash was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Canadian opera singer Maureen Forrester and Toronto-born violinist and conductor Eugene Kash (May 1, 1 ...
), a local man who claims that Gillian had sent out a distress call. Her uneasiness grows until later that night, when her seemingly easy two-day initiation rite turns sinister.
Cast
*
Annie Clark as Gillian
*
Daniel Kash
Daniel Joshua Kash (born April 25, 1959) is a Canadian actor and film director.
Life and career
Kash was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Canadian opera singer Maureen Forrester and Toronto-born violinist and conductor Eugene Kash (May 1, 1 ...
as Ray
*Richard Clarkin as Fred
*Steven Love as Marty
*Alyssa Capriotti as Lacey
*Sarah Emes as Janie
*Sonia Laplante as Therapist
*Megann McCandless as Gillian's Sister
Reception
Critical reception for ''Solo'' has been mixed to positive. Common praise centered around the film's restraint and slow build towards suspense, and
Fearnet
Fearnet was an American digital cable television network, website and video on demand service owned by Comcast. The network specialized in horror entertainment programming through a mix of acquired and original series, and feature films.
Backgro ...
commented that the movie was "rather quietly intense and engaging". Criticisms for ''Solo'' tended to center around elements that the reviewers felt were "predictable twists and turns that fans of the genre will be able to catch from the end of the first act".
Twitch Film
Screen Anarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...
gave a mostly negative review, as they felt that the film did not make use of its full potential and that more use of the film's inspiration or of sound would have improved the movie's tension.
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 2374196
2013 films
Films shot in Canada
Canadian thriller films
English-language Canadian films
Films about summer camps
2013 thriller films
2010s English-language films
2010s Canadian films