Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Camp Courage’ on Netflix, an Inspiring Documentary Short About Ukranian Refugees Climbing Mountains to Heal Themselves

Daily news images of war in Ukraine and the Middle East don’t always capture the breadth of suffering in the wake of such conflict, and that’s why Max Lowe’s short Camp Courage (now streaming on Netflix) exists. He follows a Ukrainian girl and her grandmother, displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war, as they take a trip to the Alps to climb a mountain with other refugees, in search of camaraderie, a distraction maybe, and definitely a little bit of healing.

CAMP COURAGE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Olga and her 10-year-old granddaughter Milana are innocent civilian victims of war. Their struggle began in 2015, when a Russian missile attack on Mariupol killed Olga’s daughter, Milana’s mother, and left the then-two-year-old girl pinned under debris; she lost her left leg from just below the knee down. Now, they’re Ukrainians living in Slovakia, forced out of their homes after the 2022 Russian invasion. It’s surely been a struggle, but on this day in July, 2022, Olga is upbeat. She and Milana are traveling to Piesendorf, Austria, joining other Ukrainian refugees for a weeklong mountain-climbing camp. On the train, Milana looks in awe upon one of the mighty, and mighty gorgeous, peaks of the Alps, and says she can’t wait to climb it.

Easier said than done, perhaps. Facing the prospect of strapping into a harness and learning to climb, Milana balks. She’s scared. She cries. Olga pulls on all the gear and scales a rugged patch of rock to show Milana how it’s done, but the girl doesn’t budge. It’s not quite about Milana having a prosthetic leg, although it’s not fitting like it should and it pinches sometimes, leaving her sore. It may have more to do with being a preadolescent at a difficult stage; the situation’s surely further complicated by the fact that she’s already faced significant challenges in life. Olga shows love, sometimes a little tough by necessity, and concern for her granddaughter, but she forges ahead with the goal of reaching a breathtaking summit. But will Milana be there to share the moment with her?

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Pair Camp Courage with the feature-length Crip Camp (also on Netflix) for a double feature of documentaries highlighting the inspiring accomplishments of people with disabilities.

Performance Worth Watching: The camp is organized by a group called the Mountain Seed Foundation, and founder Nathan Schmidt is the subject of a few poignant moments where he shares his experience as an Iraq War vet, and how he wants to help displaced Ukrainians work through their troubles. 

Memorable Dialogue: Olga on Milana: “She lights me up and keeps my soul from fading into darkness.”

Milana on Olga: “She’s like my second mom, my best and most loyal mom.”

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: Camp Courage is a snapshot of hope and optimism, and underscores the truth in the cliché about the power of the human spirit. That’s the overarching idea, and it shines through the narrative with gentle clarity. But Howe also captures the intimate minutiae of Milana’s life with simple pathos: Her daily routine of putting on her prosthetic, her prickly moods as she argues with her grandmother, who’s kind, but firm as she tries to persuade Milana to overcome her fears and participate in the day’s activities. Not that Olga brandishes certainty, mind you; one scene finds her seeking advice and affirmation from an on-site psychologist, who assures her that Milana’s disposition is right in line with the personal development of a 10-year-old girl. And Olga breathes a sigh of relief.

Howe is hyper-focused on the emotional journey at the expense of factual detail – we don’t get a real sense of how difficult it is to scale the summit, and questions about the group that organizes the camp will likely go unanswered without an internet search. It feels like Howe wanted to avoid the mere suggestion that the film is a commercial for the Virginia-based Mountain Seed, which seems like a wonderfully noble nonprofit; as it is, Schmidt plays a supporting role in Olga and Malina’s story, enabling them to climb a literal mountain, which makes climbing the figurative ones seem far less daunting.

Our Call: STREAM IT. It seems nearly impossible to not be moved or inspired by Camp Courage.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.