The Miseducation of Cameron Post

I've been waiting for this movie for a really long time. I've heard it's gonna be similar to the movie 'But I'm a Cheerleader' and I can say that it is but only up to a point. It seems more mature. I don't know why but I expected more plot. I was a bit disappointed when it ended and I didn't feel like anything was resolved. The main character seems so lost and we usually expect her to find her way but she didn't. On the other side, this movie is really important because it talks about homosexuality in more mature way. And this is maybe the first time they have actually shown an accurate depiction of what the religion really says about this topic. What I find also important is that it discusses the possible causes that led to the SSA. All in all, it's not a complete waste of time but do not expect too much.

You have to take this film for what it is: a low-key exploration of the experience of teenagers in a fundamentalist Christian gay conversion camp. The biggest mistake a movie like this could make would be to overly vilify everything about the camp and it's staff rather then dealing with them as human beings who are the products of their own misguided religious belief systems. The second biggest mistake a film like this could make would be NOT to address the emotional abuse that such a practice delivers. To this end, the film lets the harm of conversion therapy be self-evident without overtly pointing to it in a reactionary, outraged fashion. This is no easy accomplishment. The film is subtle and features solid acting performances by promising young actors, led by the magnificent Chloe Grace Moretz. They managed to portray the realistic ambivalence experienced by LGBT youth who find themselves in such situations. Although it will win no great swards, will be no blockbuster, and will not become a cult classic, this film definitely belongs on your must-watch list if you care about this issue.

It was well acted I guess but without spoiling much I was left wondering about the other characters. Over all the plot felt very simple and really left me wanting more.

There was no storyline. The main character had nothing to lose. A peripheral character lost a lot, but his character wasn't well developed enough for his loss to warrant anything more than an "Oh gross" and a small amount of pity. Add to this that the ending fell flat and you have a big "meh."

This small film is a triumph of down-to-earth storytelling on the experience of young people going through gay conversion therapy through religious browbeating. It's the story of a teenage girl, Cameron Post, played with visceral substance by Chloe Grace Moretz, who experiences life in exactly this type of setting. Her story begins when she is discovered engaging in sexual intimacy with a female classmate during prom and is sent by her outraged aunt to a ghastly gay conversion camp in a rural area. She soon meets two other teenage members (Sasha Lane and Forrest Goodluck, both excellent) who secretly refuse to embrace the camp's philosophy.

Although this could have been something more dramatic and perhaps could have gone a bit deeper, it's not a misfire by virtue of being slight in its length or in its treatment of the difficult material. It is alternately heartbreaking and outrageous but also at times bemusing as the camp veers between apparent sadism and pitiful ineptitude in trying to pound its young members into submission. Jennifer Ehle is powerful as the camp's leader and psychologist in an icy, Nurse Ratched-like performance who has her brother, a "cured" gay man as the camp's spiritual leader. The film also does not shy away from showing the emotional toll on even the camp's most docile members.

Even though the film's resolution seems too casual and almost too simple, I still found it quite satisfying, together with a roaring soundtrack which toward the end conveys a ray of hope. Recommended for its thoughtful approach and fine performances.