Director-writer Andrew Bourne takes a leap of faith in his short student comedy Church Camp. Josh (Espen Brante) is a bisexual church camp counselor, and along with his gay friend Sophie (Kyra Johnson), must negotiate the shark-infested culture of the religious camp environment. Sophie is out, and Josh is on the cusp of coming out. When camp Minister Dave (Marcel Thompkins) clocks Sophie’s unique earrings, which feature Jesus holding a pride flag, he stumbles in surprise and then says, “We accept all here.” Sophie’s friend Cassidy (Madison Monzigo) is hostile to LGBTQ acceptance, telling Sophie, “It’s not natural.”
Impulsively, Josh writes on a prayer card his name and that he’s bisexual. Immediately after that, Minister Dave tells the assembled campers that the cards will be read aloud the next night. Faced with having outed himself in such an unintentionally public way, when he initially didn’t consider that the cards might be shared, Josh spends the next day trying to get the card back.
“…a camp counselor on the cusp of coming out as bisexual…”
The film is somewhat autobiographical. Bourne shares his inspiration in a director’s statement: “It was important to me to tell a story about a bisexual protagonist that was comedic in nature, as many LGBTQ+ stories feature trauma and drama in the forefront of their depictions of queer people. Church camps, with their ridiculous activities and traditions, make them a ripe place for comedy, and most of this film stems from the real experiences I had in a Georgia church camp (even a full-sized Jesus made of bread.)”
The short is masterful, with solid production values and performances. That it was produced by the Florida State University school of Motion Picture Arts is a pleasant surprise, given the subject matter and the reputation Florida has for being gleefully hostile to diversity.
It feels like maybe Bourne is soft-pedaling the situation with the acceptance Josh and Sophie experience from the leadership of a Southern bible-thumping church camp. Having grown up in that environment myself, my experience is that any camper who came out as LGBTQ+ would be publicly shamed and ejected from the camp with a recommendation for exorcism. Perhaps times have changed? (probably not).
Kudos to Bourne for making this film to show the lighter side of the struggle and encourage young LGBTQ+ people who navigate a lonely, hostile world.
"…encouraging young LGBTQ+ people who navigate a lonely, hostile world..."