CAMPING WHILE BLACK/LATINX
I'm going away to camp this weekend and was looking in the interwebs for films about camping or fun summer outings with women of color. And guess what? I did not find not a one. The closest I got was Girls Trip and How Stella Got Her Groove Back. NOW, I'm not talking about films where there's one woman of color (like Crossroads with Zoe Saldna), or films where the one Black girl has to deal with trauma only to then be killed (hello Brandy in I Know What You Did Last Summer). I'm talking about a film or FILMSSSS that center women of color and their (our) stories and our experiences in spaces people assume we don't enjoy... like the great outdoors. And since I love to re-imagining pop culture favorites, I thought why not do it with this theme in mind!
These where three stories that centered women/girls and so it gave me a starting point. Most of the outdoorsy films are more about white men (no surprise there).
Little Darlings (1980)
Two fifteen year-old girls from different sides of the tracks compete to see who will be first to lose their virginity while at camp. Ferris comes from wealthy parents while Angel is a little more rough around the edges.
Angel - newly played by Madison Pettis
Ferris - newly played by China Anne McClain
I love the idea of two young woc in a sort of coming of age film that can tackle class, access, identity and sexuality. Maybe one of them realizes she's actually Queer and the other realizes that she has nothing to prove to anyone when it comes to sex. I'd want this film to be full of joy and also the nuances that come with being a teen chica.
Troop Beverly Hills (1989)
A soon to be divorced Beverly Hills socialite (Phyllis Nefler) is determined to prove to her husband and herself that she can finish what she starts out to do, by becoming a den mother to a troop of Beverly Hills Girl Scouts.
Phyllis Nefler- newly played by Salma Hayek
Freddy Nefler - newly played by The Rock
I have a feeling Salma Hayek would be able to play a rich woman who is on the verge of losing it all very well. Plus she can add some pizzaz to this role, perhaps the troop she takes over is not from Beverly Hills but from East LA. Also, The Rock has become one of my favorite fellas to watch on the big screen... he's good in comedy films and also... good to look at.
The Parent Trap (1998)
Identical twins Annie and Hallie, separated at birth and each raised by one of their biological parents, later discover each other for the first time at summer camp and make a plan to bring their wayward parents back together.
Hallie / Annie- newly played by Marsai Martin
I mean I am a HUGE fan of Marsai, if you don't know her then that means you don't watch Blackish, which means you have some homework to do. She's so dynamic on that show as one of the twins (not identical) and I know she can absolutely play two characters at once — and it would be so much fun to watch! Plus at 14 she's already making her own production moves, with her film Little premiering in 2019.
Who would you cast? Or rather what stories would you like told that show us in spaces or in situations that the general public believes we don't enjoy/do? I think of going snowboarding, surfing, hiking etc. — I've done two out of the three and enjoyed them! Okay I'm off my soapbox.
Love + Light
Yari