Happy hump day, friends!
As the situation continues to get pretty grim, especially in New York, I thought it would be helpful to start off today's edition with some tips for processing loss from Lori Gottlieb, author of "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone." There's more helpful context around these in the article linked, and unlike grief, it doesn't necessarily unfold neatly and in stages.
Acknowledge the grief
Stay in the present
Let people experience loss in their own way
I share this not trying to tone police at all, but I would urge everyone to consider your behaviors and your privilege if you're lucky enough to not be currently affected by COVID-19 ... and what that might look like to someone who's not as fortunate as you are right now. This is mostly prompted by a recent NYT article about a writer of theirs who's been caring for her husband, which gets very real and very grim.
Just so this isn't all a downer, allow me to share a playlist I've been listening to created by actor Logan Lerman. I've really enjoyed having these mellow tunes accompany my work today, though full disclosure, my music taste is incredibly basic and unsophisticated compared to my movie knowledge:
Today's big cause: let's protect domestic workers, many of whom are doing crucially important work in this time (like they always do) but are very likely to fall through the social safety net. Courtesy of Kerry Washington's Instagram, I found a great (tax deductible!) way to help out. Donate here.
(If you need/want to put a human face on this, I'd urge you to read this feature on undocumented household workers being put in a lurch by coronavirus-related fallout.)
Now, what you came for...
(Past suggestions archived on Letterboxd)
DAY 13: Crip Camp (available on Netflix)
No, not those Crips.
Today's recommendation is made pretty easy because I was assigned to review Crip Camp, the new Obama-produced documentary for Netflix, for its release today. (So now I've got a movie to recommend that I can virtually guarantee none of you have seen!) You can read the full review here, and you'll probably be able to tell it was written after two weeks of penning The Distancer.
The tl;dr — unlike many documentaries about activism, Crip Camp is not rooted in collective trauma. Rather, it's based in collective joy. A large contingent of the disabled activists who helped compel government action around enforcing accessibility came from the eponymous summer camp, Woodstock-adjacent Camp Jened. At this camp, disabled youth experienced normalcy, accommodation and acceptance in a way they never had before - and powerfully took steps to remake the world in that image.
It's not going to be as wild as that Tiger King show I see in everyone's Instagram Stories, but I think it will probably be quite inspiring!
Be good to yourselves and to each other,
Marshall