Educational Media Reviews Online

That’s Wild highlights the work of Wilderness Works, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization founded in 1997 to serve homeless and at-risk youth with “enrichment, experiential education, and character development” (https://wildernessworks.org/). The film follows founder and Executive Director Bill Mickler and his staff as they lead a group of African American teenage boys on a five-day, 24-mile backpacking trip through the Colorado mountains. Through a series of day camps, weekend “city camps,” summer camps, and overnight and multi-day field trips and camping excursions, the program aims to connect disadvantaged youth with positive adult role models, help them form healthy friendships, build feelings of self-worth, and give them experiences outside of the grinding poverty and crime of their urban environment.

The film also delves into the lives of three of the boys -- Cliff (16), Ahmani (13), and Nicholas (13) -- each dealing with serious “grown up” issues including homelessness, mental health problems, poverty, and incarcerated family members. In one scene, Mickler leads a discussion about fathers, and the stories the boys relate are harrowing: one father murdered at a hotel, another on parole, one more scheduled to leave prison soon. In another heartbreaking scene, Cliff talks to a younger boy about how it feels to be homeless, bonding over the feelings of unpredictability, stress, and shame.

We see the boys with their families and learn a little about their home lives, then follow them, along with other boys and their program staff chaperones, as they hike 12,000-foot mountain peaks outside of Aspen, CO. In the mountains, the boys take responsibility for their own camping and hiking gear, help each other cross a frigid mountain stream, pitch their tents, secure their food supplies in bear-proof bags, observe elk and other wildlife, struggle with the low oxygen levels, and ultimately learn about their own ability to face difficult tasks. It is heartening to watch the boys pitch in to help one another, and to see them marvel at the mountains and wildlife: “You ever see something so breathtaking in your life?” one boy asks another in the opening scene, gaping at mountain pastures full of elk. (For the viewer, the Colorado scenery is gorgeous, although the soundtrack of generic, “inspirational” electronic music can be distracting.)

Overall, the film is a bit slight, but it is a worthwhile overview of a program that seems to be doing some good for a community badly in need. It is also a sobering reminder of the issues facing youth of color in many of our urban centers. This program is recommended for academic libraries supporting programs in social work or urban education; for other libraries it is non-essential.

Awards:

Official Selection, Docutah (International Documentary Film Festival) 2020; Director’s Spotlight Award, Best Picture, and Audience Favorite, Ouray International Film Festival 2020; Best Travel & Expedition Finalist, International Nature Film Festival Godollo 2020; Official Selection, 2020 BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta, GA; Official Selection, International Wildlife Film Festival 2020; Official Selection, Florida Film Festival 2020; Official Selection, Wildscreen 2020

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