Sunday, August 13, 2023

Cabin Girl (2023)

After her parents die, Ava is tired of feeling alone so she buys a van and goes on the road.  She starts a vlog as a way to bring people on her journey and avoid her loneliness.  Surprisingly the user name van girl is not already taken. 

When she stops posting, her followers are worried and start vlogging about her being missing. Ava eventually shows up with a head injury and a new home. She tells her followers, “I’ve always wanted to buy a little cabin in the woods,” and proceeds to show them the large house that is neither a cabin nor in the woods.

Ava is addicted to posting about herself and live streams as she bikes around the small town. Her 600,000 followers who were invested in her van life start to turn on her. They didn’t subscribe to hear her talk about her cabin and paranormal stuff. They ask when she’s going back on the road, and Ava says the doctor’s told her not to drive. She’s having hallucinations and some memory loss, so she doesn’t feel up to it. Plus she has her new house to work on.

After stumbling upon a memorial for Hannah Granger near a bridge, she runs into bar owner Trina and asks about Hannah. Rumors are Hannah was a witch and either jumped or was pushed off the bridge to her death.  Ava becomes even more intrigued with the story when she finds out Hannah used to live in the home she just purchased.

After having some weird things happen in her home, Ava thinks Hannah is trying to tell her something and suspects she was murdered.  Trina loans the bar’s ouija board to Ava and tells her not to use it alone.  When mechanic Kellen gives her a ride home after she gets a flat tire, they have some wine and break out  the ouija. When Kellen grabs another bottle, Ava uses it on her own and the board spells out guilty. Ava takes this one word and runs with it. She makes a leap in logic and assumes Hannah is saying someone killed her. 

Over the next day or two, Ava sees someone outside her window, kicks Kellen off her property for trying to fix her van, and has Trina over to do Tarot cards.  Ava thinks the cards will tell her who killed Hannah, but when they don’t and seem to be about her, she tells Trina to read them again. When Trina says that’s not how it works, Ava becomes furious and threatens Trina into leaving.

Ava becomes obsessed with solving Hannah’s murder, even though she still has no proof about what happened. She’s convinced the Granger’s are such a powerful small town family they’ve covered up what really happened.  Ad when the Sheriff turns out to be a Granger, Ava is even more convinced she’s right.

Meanwhile there is a middle aged man in a van who is obsessed with Ava and has tracked her down.  Ava isn’t that bright as she lives streams.Anyone paying attention could get the names of the businesses in town.  She mentions having a stalker previously. Is this the same man? Is it a new stalker? Or is his purpose something different?

Ava is unlikable so you’re more concerned for the characters around her, than for her.  Granted seeing a  middle aged man track a young woman is creepy, but other than one character, Ava comes off poorly or disingenuous in her interactions with the towns folk. Plus her channel was for traveling in a van and now it’s about Hannah, her house and supernatural. Most people aren’t going to enjoy a channel they subscribe to taking a hard 180 degree turn in what they’re posting.

Ridiculous dialogue

You guys are all family to me now.

Trina: The internet can wait.
Ava: It can’t. My subscribers are everything. I can’t let them down.

I’m your like most loyal follower and fan, but like I really miss the old Ava. Like I don’t know who this is or I don’t know where she’s gone but please please old Ava come back.

Jackies Dad [talking into Sheriff Grangers radio]: I need help. Sheriff Granger’s down. We’re at Ava Robbins place, first left off of Burnt Mill Road.
Police Dispatch: Is this a joke?


Live streaming while riding her bike
Ava and the house she bought
I’m concerned about her ergonomics
The bar that just happens to have a ouija board
Well that settles it.Live streaming while
walking or biking looks really stupid


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