Jesus Camp (2006)

One of the scariest

and most 

thought provoking

documentaries I will

 see this month.

Jesus Camp is a time capsule for one of the scariest points in recent world history. A time when mass Christian hysteria threatened to overthrow decades of social advancement and America (sadly the only country which seems to matter when it comes to incidents such as this) dangled above an anti-intellectual, and monumentally short-sighted  Republican abyss. Over the last 9 years, the radical Evangelical groups seen in this film have slowly lost momentum and they have failed to restrain society's progress, however these facts do not dampen the power of this film. It is shot elegantly, paced perfectly and subtly delivers it's message without forcing it's viewpoint on the viewer, the madness speaks for itself. 

Jesus Camp follows the indoctrination of several children at the hands of a children's pastor named Becky Fischer. We witness the delusional mindset of these people and the poisonous effect they have on the minds of the young, the lies they are fed and the militant mindset they are forced to adopt. The frequent references made to war and the apparent idea that the children are being turned into children exposes the aggression of this environment, and the film does an excellent job by coherently showing us the obsessive and xenophobic teachings of Fischer. This film is exactly what it claims to be, an unabashedly brutal and raw look into the breeding tube for America's most dangerous future citizens.

The film is fairly brief and keeps a brisk pace, preferring to show an expansive range of topics rather than focusing on one element of Evangelism exclusively. We see both the inner workings of this church and the personal effect the environment has upon the children themselves, for example the media which is withheld from them and the pastimes which are frowned upon. By showing both the small psychological impacts, and the far larger in scale machinations of Fischer's group, we are given a complete picture of the situation and little is left unscrutinised. In terms of insight, this film is unbelievably effective and is perhaps the all time definitive documentation of this heavy issue.

In conclusion, this film is every bit as frustrating and anger inducing as it has been built up to be. It will leave you furious after your initial viewing, however this anger will slowly settle into deep contemplation. This film is bound to bring up discussion amongst it's viewers and encourages a critical outlook on religion and society, things which the people captured by the film certainly do not want you to have.

By Jack D. Phillips

A Zoom Film Review

Documentary Month 2015 #3