Summercamp!

Five minutes in I thought 'I'm going to hate this movie'. It seemed like it was just going to be a documentary of cutesy moments of kids at camp. But a bunch of good reviews led me to it, and by halfway in I understood why.

As these kids (and their counselors) come into focus as human beings it actually becomes a moving memory of childhood – it's joys, but also it's confusions, pains, hurts and loses. That doesn't mean it's a down-beat movie. Ultimately it's vibe is positive, but it's not a Pollyanna kind of positive view of childhood. It gets just how life is bittersweet, even (or especially?) when you're 10 years old.

Anybody who ever went to Summer Camp will surely be able to relate to this documentary. It deals with a few weeks at a Summer Camp for young folk, aged 6 to 15. We are introduced to the main element of the more troubled campers, an introvert, a bully,a passive-aggressive,and others. It seems to be (Summer Camp,that is)an antidote to pill popping (for the youngsters that are saddled with ADD/ADHD). The film is alternatively funny & heart breaking. The soundtrack is studded with the music of alternative rock Gods, The Flaming Lips,and some other band called Noiseola,whom I'm not familiar with, but still added a rather tasty added instrumental score. Pity that most cinemas won't be screening this much needed alternative to the drab Summer film fare (do we really need more films featuring super heroes,pyrotechnics gone berserk,horny teens,and just general stupidity than there is already?). About the only thing that would make this documentary complete would be that the snack bar serves S'mores for this engagement.

I saw this movie at the International Film Festival in Toronto, Summer 2006, and absolutely loved it. The doc was inspired by a radio piece aired by This American Life on WBEZ in Chicago. While children and the outdoors may get far too much credit and attention in today's world, this documentary certainly deserves all the attention it can get. The crew gives attention to the basics of three weeks of camp life, camp counselors, and the boys' and girls' dynamics with hilarity. Ultimately, the emphasis falls upon two individual campers. Both stories are wonderful, poignant, a little creepy, yet inspiring. I've never been happier revisiting the awkwardness of youth, contented in my own age, or resolved to send my own children off for the Summer.

"Summercamp" is definitely worth watching, especially if you're a fan of small documentaries. However the strength of "Summercamp" is also its weakness: it captures very well the joy, fun, and homesickness of summer camp--but that's about all it does. Certainly that's enough, which is why I gave it a 7/10, but to be a great documentary I would have liked the film to have gone beyond just summer camp and given me some insight into life. Yes, there are the occasional nuggets, but perhaps the film focused on too many characters to be able to mine the potential here. Having not attended a summer camp, I felt like I learned what the experience was like. But having been a child, I didn't feel like the film captured deeply--and I mean deeply--the experience of childhood. We see the superficial fun and angst of childhood, but not much else. Still the film is worth your time.