A film by Amy Nicholson, reviewed by Dr. Lloyd Sederer
“Happy” (adjective) is a blessed state of feeling a deep sense of pleasure or contentment, especially arising from satisfaction with one’s circumstances…” (Oxford English Dictionary, OED). Doesn’t seem like the state of mind of a person living in a dusty, indigent, trailer park community on the Virginia waterfront.
But not every trailer park is the same.
Happy Campers is a documentary directed by Amy Nicholson, known for her kind and candid portrayals about the nature and culture of American life. Happy Campers is a film without movie stars, there are no action or erotic scenes. The film’s ‘stars’, if you will, are mostly older folks, with bodies showing the effects of too many carbohydrates and beers. Yet, Nicholson upends elitist views (like mine have been) about trailer park life and (mostly) white, poor people.
Happy campers enjoy affordable housing and energy costs, pay no big property taxes, have no plantings to maintain, and no costly car payments. Their community is safe and stable; some families have lived in Inlet View Trailer Park for three generations. Stress, the curse of everyday life, seems undetectable, maybe because none of the characters is evidently employed.
Yet, they possess a sustained state of satisfaction. Especially because they are a community that knows, socializes, and is fond of one another. Their neighbors are their abundant source of pleasure, not possessions. Sitting on porches, watching the sunsets, fishing, playing cards, and campfires occupy their days and make for daily satisfaction.
But, as a doctor, I also saw how drinking a lot of beers and eating with abandon take their bodily toll. The people in this film are not heathy specimens. Their happiness seems to defy the pains of aging, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle. Nicholson perhaps is making an ironic point: that slender, fit bodies, exercise, nutritious diets, no tobacco, and drinking in “moderation” do not equate with being happy (though some of us are).
Yet, admittedly, the happiness of the folks at Inlet View is transient, even if it lasts for years. While a cliché, what is not transient? Especially during our lives on earth.
The community of Inlet View is being torn down by developers of expensive, seaside homes. All those still alive in the trailer park are being evicted and displaced. To where we don’t know, but surely it is not Palm Beach. The film’s final scenes are of bulldozers, wrecking balls, and desolation.
What is so remarkable and rare about Happy Campers is that its message about poverty and aging is not bitter, angry, or proclaiming injustice. Instead, I was reminded to try to see every day I have left as an opportunity to be happy, or at least satisfied, by the wonder surrounding me.
Happy Campers VOD Release iTunes, 9.10.2024, US/ Canada).
— Lloyd I. Sederer, M.D., Adjunct Professor, Columbia/Mailman
School of Public Health, former NYC Commissioner of Mental Health, and former chief medical officer of the NYS Office of Mental Health.
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