By Noma Faingold

The summer camp movie has become its own genre. By now, what audiences have come to expect is low-brow comedy (balanced by a poignant lesson), with hits like, “Wet Hot American Summer” (2001) and “Meatballs” (1979). 

Nostalgia also has its appeal with Wes Anderson’s quirky but charming ensemble, “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012) and “Indian Summer” (1993), which centers on a middle-aged camp reunion.

The horror summer camp movie is a huge sub-genre, led by “Friday the 13^th” and its sequels, as well as “Sleepaway Camp” and several sequels, including the cleverly titled, “Summer Camp III: Teenage Wasteland.”

A new film, “The Floaters,” set at fictional Camp Daveed in the Catskill Mountains, breaks the mold. 

The coming-of-age story has humor, conflict, disaffected youth, introspection (by teen and adult characters), authenticity and joy. It weaves in Jewish themes, rituals and traditions without being dogmatic. 

The term “floaters” refers to a group of self-selected misfits at the camp. They are not joiners. They resist all the typical camp activities for various reasons.

“The Floaters” has its West Coast premiere with two screenings on Aug. 3, closing night of the 45^th Annual San Francisco Jewish Film Festival at the Vogue Theater in San Francisco and at the Piedmont Theatre in Oakland.

Director Rachel Israel signed on because she connected to the script immediately. The story came from siblings Becky, Lily and Shai Korman and screenwriter Brent Hoff. The Kormans, who are also producers on “The Floaters,” went to Camp Tel Yehudah in Berryville, New York, for many summers. Their parents, former campers, met in the 1970s as staff members at Tel Yehudah in the Catskills and Becky’s children now go to the summer camp, too.

That deep family history not only informed the script; it led to the 20-day indie shoot at Camp Tel Yehudah. The production offices were located there and some of the cast and crew lodged at the camp. 

“We were lucky that the stars aligned,” Becky Korman said. “That’s my home turf. My brother, sister and I are experts on the subject matter.” 

Israel, who lives in Chester, Vermont, was pregnant with her fifth child during the shoot. Yet, she chose to stay at the rustic location. She had never been to summer camp herself and wanted to have that experience. 

“Living there helped work texture into the film,” she said.

Mara (Sarah Podemski), who runs Camp Daveed, talks longtime friend, Nomi (Jackie Tohn) into working at the camp (where they were campers together) for the summer. Nomi, a struggling musician, reluctantly agrees after being fired from her band. It’s obvious in the first few minutes of the film that Mara is the responsible one and Nomi (possibly in her mid-30s) still has some growing up to do. Mara puts Nomi in charge of the disaffected floaters. 

What could go wrong?

The large cast – which includes Seth Green as the boorish head of rival Camp Barak, and Steve Guttenberg as the oldest but wise staffer at Camp Daveed – was assembled with purpose, which included hiring Jewish actors to play Jewish characters. 

“The casting was important to me because it reflects reality,” Israel said. “The Jewish community is not homogeneous. I wanted to see Jewish characters who are ethnically diverse. A theme of the movie is coming together through difference.” 

“We were all on the same creative wavelength,” Israel said. “There’s connecting with the material and then there’s how we all were connecting as people. There was an aliveness. We had a lot of production challenges. Knowing we were doing this thing together was really sustaining.”

Both Israel and Virginia resident Becky Korman lead Jewish lives, meaning they regularly go to shul with their families and observe Jewish holidays. A scene in “The Floaters” that stands out for Korman is how the camp shifts from a Saturday night Havdalah ceremony (marking the end of Shabbat) into a huge dance party. 

“The way it came together is so fulfilling. It captures so closely what I experienced on a Saturday night at camp – dancing and having fun,” Korman said. “You see the joy of watching them dance to Israeli folk and Israeli pop songs. That’s truly authentic and I don’t think it’s ever been seen on film.”

Korman lived in Berkeley from 2012 to 2021, producing mostly documentary films and shorts for San Francisco’s Actual Films and other companies. Korman insists that “The Floaters,” which had its world premiere in June at the Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas, has mainstream appeal without the production having to water down contemporary Jewish customs and culture. 

“We crafted a movie of what Jewishness looks like now,” she said. “The film succeeds in capturing the fullness of this community.”

Israel has also directed a higher-profile film coming out this year called, “Influenced,” a comedy about an Upper East Side influencer, featuring Drew Barrymore and Gwyneth Paltrow. 

“I don’t necessarily feel as if I’ve made it,” Israel said. “But with each film, I’ve grown so much.”

“The Floaters” will have two screenings on Aug. 3, closing night of the 45^th Annual San Francisco Jewish Film Festival at the Piedmont Theatre in Oakland at 5:30 p.m. and at the Vogue Theater in San Francisco at 8:30 p.m. Director Rachel Israel, producer Becky Korman and actor Sara Podemski are expected to attend.

Noma Faingold is a writer and photographer who lives in Noe Valley. A native San Franciscan who grew up in the Sunset District, Faingold is a frequent contributor to the Richmond Review and Sunset Beacon newspapers, among others. She is obsessed with pop culture and the arts, especially film, theater and fashion.