"Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution" - A Review

UPDATE: On January 16, 2021, "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution" won the IDA award for Best Feature!

UPDATE #2: On March 15, 2021, it was announced that "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution" was Oscar-nominated for Best Documentary Feature! The Academy Awards will on April 25, 2021. Good luck to "Crip Camp"!

(This review was originally published on December 7, 2020 and re-published on March 15, 2021.) 

It feels odd for me to give a "spoiler alert" for this documentary because the events already happened. So I'll give my "review" of "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution", a film that I recommend everyone not only watches, but more importantly, discusses. (There's even an option on their website for obtaining materials on how to facilitate a discussion about the documentary.)

"Crip Camp" is a Netflix original that I first heard about from a mother, who has children with spina bifida, during the first month of its release earlier this year. Not subscribing to Netflix myself, I accepted that I wouldn't be watching it and I moved on. 

However, when the quarantine lifestyle became a thing due to the pandemic, "Crip Camp" was released on YouTube. This allows for a much wider audience, including myself. I set the intention of watching it online, but never did until another Netflix documentary featuring people with disabilities, "Rising Phoenix" was released. I wanted to watch that one because Tatyana McFadden produced it. She grew up not far from where I live, she was born with spina bifida, and she is someone who I greatly respect and feel a connection with. So I subscribed to a free 30-day trial service of Netflix just to be able to watch "Rising Phoenix". It was during that free month that I also finally decided to watch "Crip Camp".

The title alone intrigued me. Why would a modern day documentary have the word "crip" in the title? There had to be a valid reason for this choice of title. After all, it was directed by someone who has a disability (spina bifida) and who attended the main camp featured in the film. Certainly he wouldn't set out to offend himself, nor intentionally offend others with disabilities. 

The reason I put it off for so long, though, was because I felt I already knew everything that would be presented in it. I'm familiar with the disability rights movement and what it took to get to where we are today. What more could I get out of this film.

Turns out, a lot.

I've now watched this film three times. The first time left me with mixed feelings. I was surprised by some of the language that was used, though I probably shouldn't have been. After all, the movie has an "R" rating. That was, in the beginning, a huge turnoff for me. I loved everything else about the film.

The second time I watched it, months later, I realized that this film would not have effectively conveyed one of its key messages, which is to show the world that people with disabilities are just like everyone else, if it were completely "clean".  It had to be edgy for it to work. It needed to represent as many different people has possible.

This brings me to the title, specifically the word, "crip". It was after my second viewing that I understood why "crip" is in the title and why it works. Politically correct terminology changes over time. During the time period when the teenagers in the film attended Camp Jened, the word "cripple"  was used to describe individuals with disabilities. If they were to make a movie about a modern day camp for people with disabilities, then it would be offensive to use "crip" in the title. However, in the case of "Crip Camp", it accurately describes the time period in which the "revolution" began. In addition to this, many of the people with disabilities who are in this film attended that camp, so they can call it what they want. It was their camp. I saw an interview with the directors recently and one of them who has spina bifida acknowledged the fact that some people would be offended by the title, but they wanted something that would catch everyone's attention (whether they approve of the title or not). The important thing here, though, is not whether we agree or disagree, but rather the conversation that happens because of it. I personally know people who are offended by the title and they know I'm not. We had a civil conversation about it and we are still friends.

After my second viewing, I also developed a newfound appreciation for those who paved the way for me. I came away, the second time, feeling like I not only have rights, but also the responsibility to stand up for what is right and continue their legacy. There are many ways to do this. You won't find me protesting on the steps of the Capitol, but I feel compelled to speak up when things aren't right, praise and thank those who do show respect and acceptance for people with disabilities, and continue talking about the issues that affect us. That was why I decided to organize and facilitate a discussion on it.

It was because of that discussion that I watched it a third time. That time it was the conversations that followed which I found most beneficial. Some people in the group were seeing it for the first time, some for the second time, and some for the third time. We agreed on some things and disagreed on others. But we talked about it together. Another key message in "Crip Camp" is that it's important that people with different disabilities unite for the common cause. That's how they created change. They met at the same camp, but they had different disabilities. They united, and together they got things done.

Let's continue the conversation. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!