One Last Hug: Three Days at Grief Camp

Filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky's documentary short One Last Hug was shot over a three-day weekend at one of the 41 Camp Erins found in the U.S., which offer a service for grieving children that was created by Major League Baseball star Jamie Moyer. Camp Erin is a place where young survivors struggling with a death in the family can gather and feel complete freedom and permission to express their pain over the loss of a parent or sibling. The film takes viewers through the activities at camp, which are designed to give kids the vocabulary to speak about their sadness, anger, loneliness, etc., in therapeutic ways. The camp is divided into sections for younger kids and for teens, who all engage in a process designed to keep participants from feeling they are being pressured to reveal their private agony. A moving, powerful film with heart-wrenching interviews of courageous kids who talk about their losses, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)