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Crip Camp Essay

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Crip Camp: Unpacking Disability Rights and Representation in Contemporary Documentary Filmmaking. In this review essay, I discuss James LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham’s movie “Crip Camp” (2020). This documentary uses a structure similar to that of social issue films to shed light on the 20th-century disability rights movement. While effectively portraying the challenges and victories of disabled activists, the film highlights the importance of representation and inclusion while raising questions about the intricacies of disability rights advocacy. This critical review will first assess its content and then format to understand the movie's impact. In their movie, LeBrecht and Newnham paint a vivid picture of the disability rights movement, showing …show more content…

2007. The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' Oxford University Press). Fred Wiseman's work, exemplified by "Titicut Follies" (1967) (Inside Institutions, p50), offers a blunt portrayal of institutionalized settings, revealing the harsh realities faced by individuals within them. Wiseman's unobtrusive observational style, devoid of narration and filmmaker presence, lays bare the conditions of the institution. In contrast, "Crip Camp" takes a more participatory approach, actively engaging with its subjects and allowing them to shape the narrative. Two additional movies by Wiseman, “Deaf” (1986) and “Blind” (1986), as mentioned in the book Doing Documentary Work (1997). Robert Coles. Oxford University Press also represents part of the disabled community, documenting children in special-needs schools in Alabama. His approach in these films is characterized by his self-effacing way of capturing real-life events, allowing the subjects to speak for themselves. In “Deaf”, the focus on a particular family and their struggles with their deaf son makes their reality more relatable to the audience, everyone argues with their family, and even though the reasons may be different, it can resonate with anyone in the audience. This relates to moments in “Crip Camp” where some campers from Camp Jened discuss having a first kiss or losing their virginity, bringing up intimate subjects everyone goes through shows that although there are differences between the abled and disabled, there are universal experiences and emotions that connect us

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