CAMP

CAMP is a sad example of the world’s way of dealing with the hurts of today’s youth. It is the story of a summer camp for young actors, singers and dancers. The only acceptance the attendees get, and the only respite they get from the hurts and rejection of the “normal” world, seems to be from each other in their annual pilgrimage to Camp Ovation each summer. Nearly all of the youth are emotionally scarred, and, not surprisingly, most of the boys are homosexual.

The movie asserts that most potently painful rejection suffered by the children has come from their parents. One girl’s father told her that she would never be pretty enough to be an actress. A homosexual boy that was beaten up at his high school prom for dressing as a girl was told by his father that, as a boy, his father would have beaten a drag queen, in essence his own son, too. The same father refuses to attend any of the productions that his son is part of at the camp. Another girl’s father is so concerned with the way she looks that he has her mouth wired shut so that she doesn’t eat so much.

CAMP effectively presents the sensitive nature of artists and how they are emotionally ill-equipped to deal with the unfair hard-knocks of life. Unfortunately, especially in the area of homosexuality, the proposed solution seems to be that everyone should just accept them for “who they are” rather than dealing with the root causes of their behavior. Not that harsh rejection suffered by children is ever warranted. People, by nature, tend either to see weaknesses in others and magnify those weaknesses publicly in order to divert attention from their very own problems, or project their own insecurities on the weaknesses of others and try to “fix” them. The hypocritical nature of judgmentalism is what most people resist, especially the young and especially artists, who are very justice sensitive.

One of the camp’s directors bemoans just how screwed up these poor children are, but helplessly surrenders with, “The more normal we try to make them, the more lonely and isolated they are going to feel.” So they just let them run amok and shake their heads at the shenanigans these very creative and talented kids display.

In one of the most poignant scenes in CAMP, the only straight boy at the camp is accused of living a perfect life. How could he ever sympathize with the problems of those that surround him? In his defense, he admits to being a “Prozac junkie.” If not sedated, he says words, assigns numbers to them, then adds them up forwards, then repeats the cycle backwards. One of the homosexual boys says that at least the guy can take a pill for his problems, but there is no pill for being “gay.”

For one of the same homosexual boy’s birthday the whole camp comes together in drag to celebrate, obviously in support of him, since his own father has rejected him, but, also, in support of his desire to dress like a woman. While Jesus says, “Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone,” Jesus also said, “Go, and sin no more.” There is no sense of sin, however, in this movie, nor is there any sense of the need for repentance.

Heavy homosexual propaganda, excessive foul language, and adult themes make this film inappropriate family fare.

Please address your comments to:

Joshua Sapan, President/CEO

IFC Films/IFC Entertainment

Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc.

(Independent Movie Channel/IFC Films/Bravo Networks)

200 Jericho Quadrangle

Jericho, NY 11753

Phone: (516) 803-3000

Fax: (516) 803-4616

Website: www.ifctv.com

SUMMARY: CAMP is the story of an arts camp for youth that provides a “nonjudgmental” escape from the hard knocks of their everyday lives. Heavy homosexual propaganda, excessive foul language, and adult themes make this movie inappropriate family fare.