focoproject.com

Director: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
Genre: Documentary/Drama
Year: 2006

Ironically, one of the most alarming documentaries I have watched in quite some time, this Oscar nominated film follows a number of youngsters from conservative Christian families as they are sent to the Kids on Fire Camp – a summer camp (located in Devil’s Lake, N.D – no joke) intended to help them solidify their faith and strengthen their resolve in the convictions that are being drilled into them from a very early age. And, if it does not immediately grip you with its initial dark clouds, it certainly will when the leader of the camp (Becky Fischer) admits in camera that she is trying to make those children militant about their religion, the way the jihadists do for Islam.

Absurd, shocking, frightening, depressing and at times oddly funny, this documentary allows us to see the extremes to which certain Christian conservatives go in order to instill their skewed teachings into their impressionable children, bordering on brain washing in the name of Jesus.

Largely, the documentary focuses on a handful of children in preparation to the camp, and the leader – Becky Fisher – herself who describes her goals and intentions, followed by footage of the camp itself, which gathers youth from the area and pushes them to be proactive with their religion. The extents to which things are taken are dramatic, to say the least, as witnessed in a scene where a young girl expressing the delight she takes in dancing appends her statement hesitantly, admitting that she must be cautious because she sometimes “dances for the flesh.” The girl is ten years old. You can almost hear your heart breaking.

Interestingly enough, the counter argument in this particular film does not come from the liberal end of the spectrum, or the atheists as one might expect but rather from other conservatives who themselves see this preacher and her work as extremist. It is something that can be appreciated and lends credibility, to see the criticism coming in from the same side of the spectrum and avoid unnecessary debate, allowing the audience to focus what is at hand instead.

This movie is an unveiled view at religious fanaticism, proving that we need not look at the Middle East for examples when we have plenty in our own nation – sort of the Matthew 7:5 concept at work here, but this film smartly goes beyond that, looking at the repercussions in politics and society as a whole.

Rating:
Notes: Technically a family film, but some of what you see in this film is still rather disturbing and might impact impressionable minds.
Recommendation: If you like this, you might be interested in Lucy Walker’s The Devil’s Playground (2002), a look at the rite of passage many teenagers go through in the Amish culture.
Quote: Becky Fischer: It’s no wonder, with that kind of intense training and discipling, that those young people are ready to kill themselves for the cause of Islam. I wanna see young people who are as committed to the cause of Jesus Christ as the young people are to the cause of Islam. I wanna see them as radically laying down their lives for the Gospel as they are over in Pakistan and Israel and Palestine and all those different places, you know, because we have… excuse me, but we have the truth!