One of my all time favorites.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

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.

Summary in BriefThe Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of The Miseducation of Cameron PostThe Good: All the acting is pretty much "on fleek". The characters are charming giving us this ex-gay Breakfast Club feel. While Dr. Marsh is our Diablo, Rev. Rick is our Igore who really fueled the fire behind this exgay, psychological nightmare camp. We first encounter Rev. Rick playing worship music to the young "Disciples" at the lodge which is fitting. He is a pied piper of sorts singing the praises of a God he feels rescued him from a gay hell and hoping to lure these kids in with his heartfelt delusion. He's a great singer, guitar player and passionate. This is an element that can and did hook me into exgay ministry and religious fundamentalism as well--heart stirring music that rose my consciousness to heavenly places. I know because I've been deep in it. Nothing wrong on the surface until those that usher and play these pipes start coloring in a God who can't tolerate a part of who you are and all you have known since early childhood. For a work of fiction, this movie is pretty spot on right down to the Iceburg theory that the kids are forced to participate in, which is prevalent in ex-gay circles and my own first exposure to it. Though it does nothing for Cameron, there are more tools in the toolbox waiting for her. The owner of that toolbox is the relentless ice queen, Dr. Lydia Marsh and her strange co-hort Rev Rick (who have an unusual vested interest in each others success we find out about later). These two play our two antagonists very well with one carrying a certain innocently dangerous charm (Rev Rick) and the other a pscyhologically abusive power (Dr. Marsh). The story does a great job keeping us connected to Cameron's love interest in Coley played by Quinn Shephard. If you are lesbian, you will enjoy their connection and the many sex scenes early on and through flashbacks. Cameron's long distance love affair with Coley reminded me a little of The Color Purple right down to Cameron finding out Coley's letters had been kept from her. It is clear why Cameron struggles with her affair with Coley because Quinn does a great job as a sexual powerhouse. Coley is an identity whirlwind that Cameron can't control. When the affair is exposed, it all get's out of hand for her Jesus loving family and Cameron is sent to exgay camp. The longing, guilt and confusion that play a ripple effect through Cameron are felt in the movie from beginning to end, and it is played authentically. The film does a descent job too of balancing out humor and using Cameron's defiance to keep us from being sucked into a void of despair. The characters surrounding her are also a help--they are entertaining and emotionally appealing. You want more, not less. The story is set in 1993 and I felt they did a good job of making this feel old school with the lighting, the hues, and simple things like the VHS recording of "Bless-ercise "and old school Vanity mirrors. There are believable characters here you will want to invest in and you will but the question is does the film leave you short on your investment? No and Yes. Read on....The Bad: While we are teased with characters who are overtly in denial, others ready to explode, and still others deeply faithful and often very funny, the film focuses more on how the characters live mundane, abusive lives. Some of it covers their modes of resisting but leaves a sad lacking element of teasing but not delivering to us a more in-depth exposure to these characters. This plays out in snippets of group sessions with characters we later don't see much of or get to know. Some of the tragic highlights happen to characters I ended up wanting to know more about than Cameron herself at points because of their emotional turmoil. This is chiefly because Cameron comes in resisting but many others are not as strong willed. Eventually, even Cameron begins to doubt herself but not for long like the others have. This is just nit picking some because her story is still appealing too, but I wanted more. Also, there is a lack of any kind of awareness around Cameron's now-family except that they are Jesus loving and threw her into this camp which is another missed connection. The framing of the movie throws us right into camp early and ends pretty much the moment she escapes so that there is no real solid sense of Cameron's beginning or her end. It is just hinted at as are most things in this film. Jennifer Ehle's portrayal of Dr. Marsh is disturbing. You dislike her easily, but at times she is played too robotic and a bit less believable.., but in another way that too is on point. Having experienced many a leader in these ministries they are so cut off from themselves and compassion. They do indeed come off robotic and fake. Still at times, even her fake didn't land. The Ugly: Just a personal preference, but I found the ending strange. Like taking 10 minutes to eat one Cheetoh. It was a weightless, meaningless ending that should have been powerful since it is the start of what we hope for some of the characters in the film who have some sense about them. Yet, it comes off a bit unfinished, almost like the writer didn't know what to do next.

Cameron starts humming "What's Going On" and within minutes is standing on the table singing it loud and proud. There's an inherent energy in that scene that often feels missing from the rest of the picture. Also, the people in this story are flesh-and-blood examples of a tragic emotional Stockholm Syndrome that should not be. I just wish the story did more with them.

Sweet teenage girl gets caught kissing her girlfriend and is sent to a Christian gay conversion camp. The film But I'm a Cheerleader had a comic perspective on this situation but this film Miseducation takes it seriously. Seemed like a realistically awful situation. Fortunately the girl makes some friends at the camp but they all suffer under the pressure to change their orientation. The film shows that this is emotional abuse. The acting of all the teens is excellent.