The Last Stop

Like Luluew I was in a similar program, at 13-16 I was in a "TC" were yelling ,screaming ,shaved heads for the boys, girls had to wear stocking caps, we were shoveling snow with a spoon I was super rebellious and got 'shot down alot" , i have to say I am so grateful this documentary came out and the light you guys shed on these "therapeutic communities". I never understood why after I was away at the young age of 13-16 when i left for the " real world " I was always so scared of being screamed at and life was very black and white I was either good or bad no in-between., I feel like pain shared is pain lessened and as crazy as that place was, my experience was both bad and good, and I have both horrible and great memories of that facility I was in. Elan was really out there on many levels!

God Bless all the brave amazing strong people seen in the doc. You guys made it through there you can do anything !

Both shocking and enlightening, TJ Nilssen gives viewers both sides of the Élan story. Making the best of the desperate situation. Some students managed to gain valuable life lessons, friendship bonds and discipline despite the horrific experiences. Other's tried desperately and failed to escape the secluded rural school and were severely punished. Other's still capitulated and perpetuated abuse in order to survive.

The Last Stop is the most thorough visual documentation of the Élan School and the multi generational turmoil and mental scars saddled on the students left in it's wake. Witness shocking interviews, footage and first hand experiences of students and staff detailing the day to day, highly controversial "therapy" and rehabilitation techniques employed by both staff and students alike. Élan used systematic forms of divide & conquer, peer pressure, social engineering, public humiliation and forced indoctrination in order to create a self policing social environment were just another part of the 'curriculum' at Élan.

While the bad and worst aspects of human nature are shown to have been on full display at Élan. The Last Stop shows that the oppressive system couldn't completely squash the inherent good and positive aspects of humanity even at it's peak. From start to finish The Last Stop is a riveting experience that provides the viewer with closure where previous documentary attempts, and the actual shutdown of Élan, failed.

As someone who was sent away to a similar program I think everyone should watch this to educated in an attempt to put an end to the "troubled teen" industry.

For well over a year I waited with great anticipation for the debut of "The Last Stop" in Portland ME. Never in my life did I think that anyone would be interested in hearing my story. Thanks to this documentary the truth is now out about Elan! I wanted our story to be told and didn't care if people would come see it or not.

The film did not disappoint me either. I found it to be a truthful and accurate account of what went on their and it fascinated me more than anything has in a long time. I have seen the film 2 other times since (3 in total) and drove 600 miles round trip to see it each time.

Soon it will be released and that will give me the opportunity to share the experience of watching it with my wife and my daughter. They want to know more about my past which has always been somewhat of a mystery because it is hard for me to explain and for them to understand.

Anyone who has even a remote interest in this subject will not want to miss the opportunity to see this documentary. There is not and has never been anything like it.

Peter Arnold, Yarmouth, Massachusetts

"What's a life worth?"

Roughly 54k plus a year. The élan one corporation charged scared parents, fed up DCF workers, this exorbitant amount per child, per year.

Despite the fact élan received roughly 54K a year, per child, there were weeks without running water, heat, or electricity, children with ill fitting clothing and shoes, etc.

*Please note I am sharing experiences from the 1990 through 1993 era. *

Upon hearing that "The Last Stop" would (finally) be made, I met the news with joy, uncertainty, and hope. Hope that it was for real, this time.

That warm, beautiful, April night (of the premiere) I was filled with a palpable anxiety.

Walking into the movie theatre, seeing almost EVERY seat filled, filled my eyes with tears.

These were my fellow Elan brothers, sisters, friends, and supporters.

We were here for ourselves and for each other. This IS for real, this is going to happen.

TJ & Co. would be facing a Herculean task to tell all of our stories, represent both sides. I did not envy the job ahead..

That said, The documentary was refreshingly unbiased.

I knew it would be hard to walk that line.

TJ & Co. told the story with amazing accuracy and never once did you "feel" his personal feelings.

He allowed each individuals story to shine through on its own.

He did it in such a way that you could watch it and not feel forcibly swayed.

No matter your prior feelings about élan, you were allowed to consider all sides when each person shared their experience.

The blending of past and present was done seamlessly.

The integration of Joe Ricci's life outside of the élan one corporation did not cause any noticeable "hiccups" in the flow of the story.

The background on Mr. Ricci was eye opening.

We had been taught to revere this man like a "God among men".

Joe arriving on the ramshackle compound was met with noticeable glee and giddiness- amongst the staff and older residents that were "in the club".

People have jokingly compared this program to the "Lord of the Flies" , but there was no joke about it. It was sadly true.

No matter if you were a "golden child" or a "corner child" or fell somewhere in between, this program did eat a chunk of your soul.

Many of the "golden children" are no longer with us on this earth. Many of the "corner children" doomed to "die with a needle in their arms" as Mark Rosenberg so eloquently put it, are doing quite well with beautiful, enviable, lives.

I don't believe graduating the program as a "success story" meant a damn thing in the grand scheme of things.

If your success story came on the backs of verbally abusing and emotionally torturing others, then how successful were you really?

But again, that is my opinion and it is (probably) quite biased. (I feel the need to say not everyone falls under the aforementioned statement)

The one thing this documentary has taught me and will hopefully teach others, is that there is more than one way to handle "problem children" and that one size does not fit all when it comes to therapy.

Sadly many states and state workers and parents fed up with incorrigible children, overmedicated children , improperly diagnosed children , etc. allowed the élan one corporation to take the burden off of their hands.

While sticking them in a place like the élan one corporation may have eased their caseload/burden, all it did was further damage a young impressionable growing human.

Many say élan's tactics were a "necessary evil". I saw those tactics rip people to shreds, and destroy their lives- for years and decades.

Many of these people died before seeing that life was, and could be beautiful.

My trip to see the premiere of this documentary in Portland last April, allowed me to truly heal, truly forgive, and truly move on.

I suppose you could say I am FINALLY an élan success story.

PS: I just want to give much love to everybody involved with the creation of this film, with getting it out to the public, the film festivals, etc. for getting the message out there, for supporting all of us, and befriending us. Be kind to yourselves and each other.