Directed by Amy Nicholson, Happy Campers takes us into the world of trailer park residents that are facing eviction due to developers buying the land and forcing them out. It is a touching portrayal of a simple life rooted in shared communal values. What’s more, it also highlights the reality of what life can be when people want to share their lives with one another. The citizens of this campground eat together, play together, and generations of families have grown up there.
In this story that is personal to Nicholson (she and her husband lived there for 3 years), she brings to life the eccentricities of the park; neighbours are playing horseshoes topless on a hot summer day, others are catching fresh crabs to share with their neighbours. The kids are out for a swim in the eye range of their family’s camper while the adults set up the fireworks for later, because why not?
Their world feels like a fantasy. It seems like peace that you’d have to sell your soul for in order to have, yet it is so simple. Their keys to happiness are their shared communal values and watching them have to pack up and say goodbye was devastating. These people don’t have much, but they don’t need much because they have each other and nature. These overlooked principles are the foundations of a good life and, as I watched, it made me laugh because that is most likely what these developers aim to create with the new “community” they will build.
I was especially moved by so many touching testimonials from the residents, especially how they spoke of one another with love and gratefulness begin their words. Men and women cried about the impact the campground had on them, others expressed fear about what they will do next and disdain over the fact they will most likely never experience this way of life again. There are so many things we can learn from these people and their way of life. Happy Campers serves as an inspiration and a reminder that in our small, precious one life, all we need is community.
Check out our interview below with Amy, she was a treat to talk to. Happy Campers is out now.
