Watch Camp Beaverton: Meet the Beavers

Camp Beaverton: Meet the Beavers is a 2013 documentary film which follows the lives of the women who attend Camp Beaverton, a women's only queer, feminist campground founded during Burning Man festival. The documentary sheds light on the lives of queer women who belong to various non-traditional communities and focuses on their stories and their experiences.

The camp is located in the Nevada desert and is a mini-city of its own, with its own customs, rules, and traditions. The documentary itself is a window into the customs and norms of this particular community, and the film does an excellent job of showcasing the essence of the camp and its members.

The film travels through the experiences of the members of Camp Beaverton, their everyday lives, their struggles with identity, and their interactions with other camps. The movie showcases how campers find acceptance and solidarity at Camp Beaverton, where individuality is celebrated and everyone can be themselves without fear of judgment.

The film takes a refreshing view on the society beyond the basic binary of heteronormativity, highlighting the struggles of non-binary and gender non-conforming queer women who are often faced with discrimination and marginalization. The film further addresses the added weight of prejudice towards LGBTQ societies in general, discussing how it affects the everyday lives of some members of the camp.

Camp Beaverton: Meet the Beavers is not only an engaging and moving documentary about the queer community, but it is also a well-crafted character piece that showcases women of all ages, orientations, and backgrounds. The camp and its members become more than just a documentary experience. As the story unfolds, we begin to empathize with and care for these women.

The film looks at the challenges that come with being part of a non-traditional community, such as difficulties raising children, dealing with prejudice, and fear of discrimination. This documentary sheds a light on the importance of finding community, of connection and of celebrating differences.

The cinematography is brilliantly done, showing the dusty beauty of the camps and the desert in the harshest sunlight, while the interviews add depth and layers to the characters that make the film feel like a journey of discovery. And while the documentary deals with some tough issues, it is never depressing or hopeless. It is, in fact, quite inspiring.

The variety of stories featured through the film makes it an intriguing insight into Camp Beaverton as a microcosm of a world which at times seems to have lost its sense of humanity. However, the warmth and compassion of the women attending the camp provides a counterbalance to the colder aspects of modern life, shining a light on the importance of community and solidarity.

Overall, Camp Beaverton: Meet the Beavers is a beautifully human exploration of the queer community at Camp Beaverton. The film captures the essence of the camp in all its buoyancy, its playfulness, its complexity, and its humanity. It is a sensitive and thoughtful documentary, and a must-watch for anyone interested in queer spaces, gender identities and diversity within the LGBTQ community.