‘The Wilderness’ shines a light on controversial outdoor youth camps

A new movie called The Wilderness aims to highlight the world of outdoor youth camps.

The industry, which claims to help teenagers struggling with addiction and other issues through rigorous outdoor activity, has sparked backlash over its lack of regulation, with critics saying the camps endanger minors.

“I think for the film, it’s just really spreading awareness, and making people be aware that there are camps like this that exist. I’m sure there are some really great ones, but a lot of them are unregulated,” star Lamar Johnson told ABC Audio.

Johnson said he wasn’t aware of the issue until coming across the script for The Wilderness.

“I read the script and I discovered it in the story. I thought it was just that — a story,” Johnson said. “Then I connected with the director/writer, Spencer King, and he told me that he himself actually went through one of these programs.”

Johnson, who starred in HBO’s The Last of Us, appears as a camp attendee alongside a character played by Hunter Doohan, best known for his role on Netflix’s Wednesday.

“The collaboration with everyone and the camaraderie that we all built together, collectively as a cast, I think is — it was beautiful,” Johnson said.

Part of that camaraderie, he adds, came from filming in beautiful but often grueling desert environments. 

“We spent a night outdoors, as they would. We kind of were in this cave, kind of, this kind of cove, and we spent the night under the stars,” Johnson said. “It really allowed us to just live in that headspace while we were shooting.”

In addition to spreading awareness of wilderness camps, Johnson said he hopes audiences leave with empathy for the teens involved.

“You know a lot of these kids are ‘troubled,’ but I think they’re more so misunderstood,” Johnson said. 

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