coming-of-age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
directed by
Desiree Akhavan
Desiree Akhavan (born December 27, 1984) is an American filmmaker, writer and actress. She is best known for her 2014 feature film debut '' Appropriate Behavior'',2012 novel by
Emily M. Danforth
Emily M. Danforth (born January 17, 1980) is an American writer.
Early life and education
Danforth was born and raised in Miles City, Montana. She attended Hofstra University, where she came out. She received a Master of Fine Arts degree from th ...
. It stars
Chloë Grace Moretz
Chloë Grace Moretz (; born February 10, 1997) is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including four MTV Movie & TV Awards, two People's Choice Awards, two Saturn Awards, and two Young Artist Awards.
She began actin ...
Sasha Lane
Sasha Bianca Lane (born September 29, 1995) is an American actress. She made her film debut in ''American Honey'' (2016), directed by Andrea Arnold, before portraying Hunter C-20 in the first season of the Disney+ television series ''Loki'', set ...
,
Forrest Goodluck
Forrest Goodluck (born August 6, 1998) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Hugh Glass's son Hawk in the 2015 film '' The Revenant'', and for his supporting role as Adam Red Eagle, a two-spirit teenager sent to a conversion therap ...
,
Marin Ireland
Marin Yvonne Ireland is an American actress. Known for her work in theatre and independent films, ''The New York Times'' deemed Ireland "one of the great drama queens of the New York stage". Her accolades include a Theatre World Award and nomina ...
Kerry Butler
Kerry Butler is an American actress and singer known primarily for her work in theatre. She is best known for originating the roles of Barbara Maitland in ''Beetlejuice'', Penny Pingleton in ''Hairspray'', and Clio/Kira in '' Xanadu'', the latt ...
,
Quinn Shephard
Quinn Shephard (born February 28, 1995) is an American actress, film director, producer, screenwriter and film editor. She played the roles of Donna Malone in the Christmas comedy ''Unaccompanied Minors'' and Morgan Sanders in the television seri ...
,
Emily Skeggs
Emily D. Skeggs (born July 10, 1990) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 2015 for playing the role of Medium Alison in ''Fun Home''.Clarke, DavidBWW "Interview: Emily ...
, Melanie Ehrlich, and
Jennifer Ehle
Jennifer Anne Ehle (; born December 29, 1969) is an American actress, the daughter of English actress Rosemary Harris and American author John Ehle. She gained fame for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC miniseries '' Pride and Prejudi ...
. Moretz plays a teenager sent to a gay
conversion therapy
Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cl ...
centre. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2018. It was released in the United States on August 3, 2018, by
FilmRise
FilmRise is a New York City–based film and television studio and streaming network, which has become one of the largest independent providers of content to ad-supported streaming (AVOD) platforms, in addition to providing the largest free direc ...
, and United Kingdom on September 7, 2018, by Vertigo Releasing. It received positive reviews and has grossed $2 million globally.
Plot
In 1993, teenager Cameron Post is secretly involved in a romantic same-sex relationship with her girlfriend, Coley Taylor. On homecoming night, Cameron's boyfriend walks in on them having sex in Coley's car, ultimately outing them both. Cameron's aunt Ruth, a devout Christian, sends Cameron to God's Promise, a gay
conversion therapy
Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cl ...
center for teenagers. It is run by the strict Dr. Lydia Marsh and her brother Reverend Rick who claims that his sister's methods cured him of his own homosexuality after two members of his church "rescued" him from a gay bar. Cameron's roommate Erin represses her homosexuality and earnestly believes in the camp's program.
Cameron befriends two of her fellow "disciples," Jane Fonda, who was raised in a hippie commune, and Adam Red Eagle, a
Lakota
Lakota may refer to:
* Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes
*Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples
Place names
In the United States:
* Lakota, Iowa
* Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County
* La ...
two-spirit
Two-spirit (also two spirit, 2S or, occasionally, twospirited) is a modern, , umbrella term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe Native people in their communities who fulfill a traditional third-gender (or other gender-variant) ...
whose father has converted to Christianity. The three teenagers bond over their mutual rebelliousness and skepticism of the camp's purpose.
During a group session, Cameron admits that she thinks Coley is "perfect" and is told by Dr. Marsh that her homosexuality stems from a misplaced urge to be like Coley. She covertly phones Coley during a visit to a restaurant and apologizes for how things turned out. Coley says she sent Cameron a letter, but the call is interrupted. After disrupting a kitchen chore session, Cameron has her mail privileges unexpectedly granted by Dr. Marsh. She reads Coley's letter only to find that Coley blames her for "seducing" her into sin. Jane reads the letter with Cameron and then destroys it, calling Coley weak-willed and treacherous. Crying, Cameron calls her aunt and asks to be brought home. Ruth turns her down.
Cameron tries to adapt better to life at God's Promise, exercising with Erin to Christian work-out tapes. One night while Cameron is having a sexual dream, Erin wakes her up and then both girls kiss. Erin puts her hand in Cameron's sheets and pants to make love to her. Cameron has an orgasm but Erin regrets it and asks Cameron not to tell anyone because she wants to change.
Another disciple, Mark, who has been expecting to return home shortly, is informed by letter that he must remain at the camp because his father still considers him effeminate. In a group session, Mark breaks down and begins behaving erratically until he is forcibly restrained by Dr. Marsh. That night, Cameron finds large quantities of blood in one of the bathrooms.
The next morning, Dr. Marsh and Reverend Rick call a meeting, announcing that Mark was badly injured during the night and is stable in a hospital, but do not explain what happened. Two of the "disciples" disrupt the meeting and a series of one-to-one meetings is held instead. During their one-to-one, Rick explains to Cameron that Mark mutilated his own genitals and nearly died before Adam found him. Cameron asks why the staff wasn't monitoring Mark more closely and asks Rick if he and Dr. Marsh have any idea what they are doing. Rick cannot answer her questions and bursts into tears. A government inquiry is launched into Mark's self-mutilation, but the investigator is unwilling to accept Cameron's argument that God's Promise is inherently emotionally abusive.
Disillusioned, Cameron, Jane and Adam decide to run away from the camp under the pretense of an early morning hike. They walk to a nearby road and hitchhike away from the camp.
Cast
Production
In November 2016, it was announced
Chloë Grace Moretz
Chloë Grace Moretz (; born February 10, 1997) is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including four MTV Movie & TV Awards, two People's Choice Awards, two Saturn Awards, and two Young Artist Awards.
She began actin ...
,
Sasha Lane
Sasha Bianca Lane (born September 29, 1995) is an American actress. She made her film debut in ''American Honey'' (2016), directed by Andrea Arnold, before portraying Hunter C-20 in the first season of the Disney+ television series ''Loki'', set ...
Forrest Goodluck
Forrest Goodluck (born August 6, 1998) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Hugh Glass's son Hawk in the 2015 film '' The Revenant'', and for his supporting role as Adam Red Eagle, a two-spirit teenager sent to a conversion therap ...
and
Jennifer Ehle
Jennifer Anne Ehle (; born December 29, 1969) is an American actress, the daughter of English actress Rosemary Harris and American author John Ehle. She gained fame for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC miniseries '' Pride and Prejudi ...
had all been cast in the film, with
Desiree Akhavan
Desiree Akhavan (born December 27, 1984) is an American filmmaker, writer and actress. She is best known for her 2014 feature film debut '' Appropriate Behavior'',Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
began in November 2016 in New York State.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2018, where it won the Grand Jury Prize for US Drama, the festival's highest honor. Shortly after,
FilmRise
FilmRise is a New York City–based film and television studio and streaming network, which has become one of the largest independent providers of content to ad-supported streaming (AVOD) platforms, in addition to providing the largest free direc ...
and Vertigo Releasing acquired US and UK distribution rights to the film, respectively. The film went onto screen at the
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...
on April 22, 2018.
It was originally scheduled to be released in the United States on August 10, 2018, at the Kaleidoscope Film Festival in
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
, however it was pushed forward by a week to August 3, 2018. It was scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2018, but was pushed back to September 7, 2018.
Reception
''The Miseducation of Cameron Post'' has received positive reviews from film critics. On review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
it has a score of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, "''The Miseducation of Cameron Post'' tells its timely coming-of-age story with wit, compassion, and an affecting overall generosity of spirit." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the film holds a rating of 69 out of 100, based on reviews from 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".