'Summer Qamp' Review: The LGBTQ+ Kids are Alright | TIFF 2023
NR
Runtime: 1 Hour and 20 Minutes
Production Companies: Bright West Entertainment, Cineflix, Hello Friend Media
Distributor: Super Channel, TVA
Director: Jen Markowitz
Release Date: N/A
Camp. It's one of the most pivotal experiences a kid can have. There's your traditionalist camp, space camp, dance camp, theater camp (now playing on Hulu, hehe), and (ugh) conversion camp. But have you ever heard of Summer Qamp?
In the woodsy, rural area of Alberta, Canada, LGBTQIA2S+—the Canadian version of LGBTQ+—adolescent kids from many backgrounds and identities retreat to Camp fYrefly, a haven for Queer kids to be themselves. Many campers are already out of the closet, confident in their identities, or still figuring themselves out. The subjects discuss the importance of making fellow Queer pals, the struggles of coming out to a parent who doesn't understand, and highlight the liberating fun they have at the camp.
It's a cruel time for Queer youth in America. Old-ass homophobic farts masked as politicians ban gender-affirming care for teens in several red states. Canada issued a travel advisory warning for citizens visiting their neighboring country because we're so backward. That's not to say they don't have skeletons in their closet. With Summer Qamp, enby documentarian Jen Markowitz cracks open a window and drowns out the homophobic white noise with fresh air via these happy campers. In any instance, the doc could've acted as a feature-length commercial for fYrefly, but Markowitz gracefully allows the 2022 class of campers to rule the stage. They let you get to know the new wave of out and proud youth who all share the desire to live comfortably as themselves.
Besides, Lord knows there are hardly any camps like fYrefly—not in Canada and certainly not in the US. If only conversion camps were affirming camps, having these kids complete their transformation with peer affirmation.
The kids are entertaining as the central focus, watching them soar in a social setting they're all unfamiliar with. It only takes a few minutes for the doc to nab your emotions as the kids vocalize their struggles. Markowitz interviews the subjects in their homes, with 1:1 sessions shot before being sent off to camp. Many share the burden of being one of the few—if not the only—people in their school who identify the way they do. They also courageously share details about how lonely and misunderstood they felt with people in their orbit, like parents and peers, resorting to self-harm—an ongoing issue within LGBTQIA2S+ spaces.
Markowitz's intimate lens follows the kids as there's a glimmer of hope in their eyes to make their first friend when they get to the camp. As they capture candid footage of these initially shy kids opening up and making friends with others, one would have to be a Grinch not to have their heart melted. It didn't help that TIFF played the P&I in the IMAX Scotiabank Theater, too! When they meet the guidance counselor team—most of whom are theater people—it's only a short time before it feels like a camper engaging in youthful activities: playing instruments, clothes swapping, hiking, participating in a campfire, rock climbing, etc.
Summer Qamp's most powerful aspect is the naturalistic B-roll footage, where the kids hardly acknowledge the camera, capturing shots of them living their best summer lives in complete bliss. Several memorable moments that swept my heart include a goth enby teen getting their hair dyed outdoors by their new friends, a Haitian teen from Calgeria sharing how they never met a fellow Queer Haitian (Oh, my child. Come to Brooklyn. Meet my sister and me; we'll raise you), and a group of kids looking at the beautiful stars describing their inclusive utopia.
The most sincere scene that stood out was a teen who expressed that they've gone to the camp because of their bisexuality while harboring a secret that he's trans. With his new friend’s encouragement, he comes out to his mom via text. Where that thread goes is baffling in unexpected ways and yet so accurate to the Queer experience.
As super Canadian as it is (like a Tegan and Sara song played during the credits Canadian), Summer Qamp is a cute, genuine doc that deserves to be on a streaming platform watched by all. It would help kids around the globe feel validated, especially with the vast array of LGBTQ2S+ folk onscreen with their little pronouns added to their names. All the kids who share their personal stories demonstrate their sureness in themselves, insightfulness about the Queer community, and joy in ways a politician pig can't even comprehend nor should take away.
Besides Summer Qamp getting picked up for a general audience, I hope all these precious souls get gender-affirming care in the future so they can continue to be as happy as they are at Camp fYrefly.
