15 Best Documentaries Of 2020
9. Crip Camp
When your documentary is produced by the former US president and first lady, that’s a decent indicator of quality. Netflix’s Crip Camp begins as an eye opening, uplifting look at a 1970s summer camp for disabled teenagers, but blossoms into a truly triumphant story about inspirational young people making a genuine difference.
Camp Jened was founded in New York State in 1971, and it alone would make for a fascinating documentary. It’s heartwarming to see these young people, whose disabilities were far less understood at the time, being able to enjoy a carefree summer in a place built for them.
The film expands its horizons when focussing on some of the attendees, among them co-director James Lebrecht, who took what they learned from Camp Jened and proceeded to campaign for disability equality and accessibility rights. These are people who made a genuine difference, and the film is a celebration of the work they’ve done, as well as an eye opener into how vital these changes were.
Crip Camp is an uncompromising film from its brash title onwards, and a vital look at a still-underreported topic.