ReelBob: ‘Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution’ ★★★★
By Bob Bloom
It’s not easy to review a movie such as “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution.”
Not because of the subject matter, but because this documentary is so profound and uplifting in its detailing of the struggle fought by disabled people to gain the basic rights those of us without any disability take for granted.
The movie, from former President and first lady Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground production company, premiered Wednesday night (March 25) on Netflix.
It is directed by Hollywood sound man Jim Lebrecht, born with spina bifida, and filmmaker Nicole Newnham.
The film, using archival footage and interviews, shows the long-lasting influence of the former Camp Jened, a summer camp in the New York state Catskills near Woodstock.
Camp Jened was, a, Lebrecht says in the documentary, a summer camp for handicapped youths that was run by hippies during the 1960s and ’70s.
It was at the camp when many of those in attendance experienced their first taste of freedom, as well as meeting others with disabilities and discovering an accepting community.
But the camp also was the birthplace for a future movement, because attendees who had tasted there the air of self-reliance and liberation from the restrictions of a society that wanted to hide them away, found their voices.
Many camp attendees were in the forefront of the movement that fought for the federal Americans with Disabilities Act that was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990.
The most prominent of these was Judith Heumann, in a wheelchair because of polio, who served as Special Advisor for International Disability Rights under former President Obama.
Heumann was the activist organizer of one of the touchstone events in the history of the disability rights movement — the 26-day takeover of a federal building in 1977, which came to be known as the 504 sit-in, which was a protest against the inaction of the Carter administration to implement a section of a law promising equal rights and access to disabled Americans that had been passed and, reluctantly, signed by President Nixon.
At its core, “Crip Camp” is not a history lesson nor a story about political and social activism.
Rather, it is a story about heart and determination for one group of Americans to show the rest of the nation that they deserve the same guarantees of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that we all supposedly enjoy.
“Crip Camp” is bold, angry and, at times, funny. More importantly, it is neither condescending nor sentimental. At times, it’s a bit raunchy as many of those interviews discuss intimate details of their lives — and if that makes you uncomfortable, too bad. Deal with it.
Activists such as Heumann and Lebrecht were not seeking special considerations. They simply wanted — and still desire — to participate and be included in society. They sought ramps so they could enter buildings to work, or to go to the same public schools as children without disabilities.
They were fighting for their right to be, and they have made many long strides. They still have a few obstacles to overcome, but as “Crip Camp” demonstrates, their tenacity and willpower shall prevail.
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
CRIP CAMP: A DISABILITY REVOLUTION
4 stars out of 4
Not rated, language