Prom -a glamour-filled, memorable night, anticipated by a majority of high schoolers over the course of their high school careers. But when Cameron Post (ChloΓ« Grace Moretz) is caught having sex with another girl in the backseat of a car during the dance, prom night gone astray is more like a guilt-filled nightmare and sentencing than a magical night filled with friends and dancing.
Disturbed by the scandal, Cameronβs evangelical aunt / legal guardian immediately ships her off to a youth conversion camp in order to aid her βsame-sex attraction.β
The Miseducation of Cameron Post dives into the world of conversion therapy and had me hooked from beginning to end. Although Cameronβs journey is set in the early 90βs, the issues addressed are still incredibly present, even in our more βprogressiveβ 2018 communities. The original teen movie, based on Emily M. Danforthβs novel of the same name, reminds audiences that the fight for equality and universal acceptance is ongoing and dire.
A gloomy shadow is constantly cast over Godβs Promise. The children attend regular therapy sessions, classes, and sermons led by Dr. Lydia Marsh (Jennifer Ehle), her βsuccessfully treatedβ brother, Reverend Rick (John Gallagher Jr.), and her various colleagues.
Generally, conversion therapy is seldom mentioned or talked about in popular entertainment. The Miseducation of Cameron Post humanizes a side of the LGBTQ+ struggle on all sides, unlike any other coming-of-age story.
The internal struggle and visible pain of characters like Rev. Rick, who claim to be “cured” by Marshβs experimental, healing methods, transcends the faΓ§ade and treatability put forth by Godβs Promise. Director Desiree Akhavan ingeniously humanizes these characters and adds an unprecedented depth to the world of conversion therapy through this emotional journey.
Marsh leads the camp with an iron fist. She constantly keeps the students in check and enforces certain expectations, but isnβt afraid to take action when she sees it necessary. She even ruthlessly shaves a studentβs hair off at one point, when she finds his long hair disrespectful and distracting.
While her behavior is evidently cruel, it is also clear that Marsh does not see the faults in her actions. Marsh genuinely cares about her students, but clearly does not comprehend that her methodology is immoral and only instills a deep, self-hatred within the students, rather than self-acceptance and growth.
It is easy for liberal-minded individuals to deem those who may not see eye-to-eye as ill-willed and evil, but Akhavan brings the complexity of opposing perspectives to the forefront of the film through the depiction and personal struggle of Reverend Rick and Dr. Lydia Marsh.
Cameron stumbles upon an unprecedented community and forms close relationships with her fellow gay outcasts during her time at Godβs Promise. Despite the institutionβs attempts to alter and rewire the adolescentsβ innate attractions, Cameron uncovers a new sense of strength and resilience within her own being.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post seamlessly hybrids an undeniable sense of humor into the heartbreaking circumstances that unfold in this teen film. The must-see story is a deeply complex, coming-of-age story that brings these pressing, unspoken, and neglected issues to light.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this past Sunday, April 22nd.
