Most of the lists of “4th of July movies on Netlfix” take you to patriotic war movies like White House Down or Patriot’s Day. Both movies are on Netflix, if that’s the kind of thing you’re looking for. But for many, there are plenty of reasons not to feel so patriotic this Independence Day. If you’re not already in the mood to celebrate America and are interested in its complex and nuanced history of discrimination and the political activism that stems from it, then the most productive 4th of July movie streaming on Netflix is still Crip Camp, a 2020 Oscar-nominated documentary about the American movement for disability rights.
Produced by Barack and Michelle Obama through their production company Higher Ground, Crip Camp tells the story of a network of teenagers with disabilities who have become activists who were instrumental in changing American policies and attitudes toward other people with disabilities. The film is based on archival footage of a small hippie camp in upstate New York dating back to the 1970s, called Camp Jened, where disabled teenagers would pile up for the summer. That’s just one of the reasons it’s the best 4th of July movie: the impeccable summer vibe.
If you like camp videos like Wet Hot American Summer or nostalgic documentaries about Woodstock (Camp Jened was just a few miles from the music festival venue), laugh at those amazing footage. This is a camp from the 70s organized for teenagers, through teenagers, almost without adult supervision. They play guitar, smoke cigarettes, play baseball, launch summer adventures. Jim LeBrecht, who co-directed the film with Nicole Newnham, is a Camp Jened alumnus, so it’s no surprise that the audience feels completely immersed in this nostalgic teen utopia.
But in addition to the antics of their formative years, those kids also have frank conversations about what it means to rely completely on their parents for fundamental things like showering, eating, and moving around the house. Your facilitators, many of whom have never noticed a user with a disability before this camp, remind them to communicate with their fellow campers with cerebral palsy, not them. They are a close-knit community. They realize that even though they have spent most of their lives in isolation, forced to be on the margins of a society that refuses to welcome them, they are not alone. They are more powerful together.
Some of us may have lasting friendships, but few of us have lasting friendships that become a political movement that is reshaping the destiny of the country. But that’s what one Camp Jened alumni organization did. The second part of Crip Camp tells the story of campers-turned-disability activists, led by Judy Heumann, who eventually became the first director of the Department of Disability Services. Heumann, who had polio like Bavia and uses a wheelchair, is a true folk hero who stands up to lawmakers in Congress. with impressive speeches. Together, she and her friends pushed for policies that eventually led to the life-changing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.
Crip Camp may not be advertised as a 4th of July movie, but it tells a much more truthful and accurate story of the American hitale than a Mark Wahlberg movie. And you may not only notice an overlooked bankruptcy of the American hitale, but also look at what it means to be human. The most important thing is that you are informed why it is very important that we protect everyone’s humanity.