Crip Camp got teed up because it had gotten a nomination for Best Documentary at this year's Oscars. This one was another doc I had been scrolling past on the regular on Netflix with no real knowledge of what it was about. Given my documentary watching goal this year, I thought I'd try watching as many as the Oscar nominated docs as I had access to.
This documentary is about Camp Jened, a free spirited summer camp for teens with disabilities located in New York. It tells the stories of the campers that attended and how they turned themselves into activists for accessibility legislation. I'll be honest, I wasn't 100% sure of this documentary at the outset. I felt like I had been dropped into a story that had already started and felt half a beat behind what was going on. Ironically, after viewing this I happened to read this from one of the film's directors, Nicole Newnham, ~
"What Jim and I always felt is that we wanted the film to bring people into the world of Camp Jened, to give them that experience themselves: arriving at camp, checking out the scene, maybe feeling a little bit uncomfortable, not sure what's going on, not sure if they speak the language. Then, over time, they'd come to feel like this is a world that is fun and joyous and liberating for them as viewers, just like it was for Jim. Jim's personal story would bring you into that."
That's pretty much how I felt by the end of this documentary. I did catch up, I figured out what was going on and the language. I was moved an inspired by their activism. There was one particularly impactful moment during a meeting with a barely engaged official that made me want to cheer. What incredibly strong and determined people. I really enjoyed this.
I did view this prior to the Oscars. I think my friend's prediction for My Octopus Teacher to win stands, but this is also incredibly wonderful, so who's to know?
I watched this on Netflix.
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