The Miseducation of Cameron Post (film)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a 2018 drama film directed by Desiree Akhavan and written by Akhavan and Cecilia Frugiuele, based on the 2012 novel by Emily M. Danforth. It stars Chloë Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., Sasha Lane, Forrest Goodluck, Marin Ireland, Owen Campbell, Kerry Butler, Quinn Shephard, Emily Skeggs, Melanie Ehrlich, and Jennifer Ehle. Moretz plays a teenager sent to a gay conversion therapy centre.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDesiree Akhavan
Produced by
  • Michael B. Clark
  • Alex Turtletaub
  • Cecilia Frugiuele
  • Jonathan Montepare
Written by
  • Desiree Akhavan
  • Cecilia Frugiuele
Based onThe Miseducation of Cameron Post
by Emily M. Danforth
Starring
Music byJulian Wass
CinematographyAshley Connor
Edited bySara Shaw
Production
companies
  • Beachside
  • Parkville Pictures
Distributed by
Release date
  • January 22, 2018 (2018-01-22) (Sundance)
  • August 3, 2018 (2018-08-03) (United States)
  • September 7, 2018 (2018-09-07) (United Kingdom)
Running time
90 minutes[1]
Country
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$900,000[2]
Box office$1.4 million[3]

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, and United Kingdom on September 7, 2018, by Vertigo Releasing. It received positive reviews and has grossed $1.4 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 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 two-spirit 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, Sasha Lane, John Gallagher Jr., Forrest Goodluck and Jennifer Ehle had all been cast in the film, with Desiree Akhavan directing the film, from a screenplay co-written with Cecilia Frugiuele.

Michael B. Clark, Alex Turtletaub, Jonathan Montepare and Frugiuele served as producers, with Akhavan and Olivier Kaempfer as executive producers, under their Beachside and Parkville Pictures banners.[4][5][6]

Filming

Principal photography began in November 2016 in New York State.[7][8]

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.[9][10][11] Shortly after, FilmRise and Vertigo Releasing acquired US and UK distribution rights to the film, respectively.[12][13] The film went onto screen at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22, 2018.[14]

It was originally scheduled to be released in the United States on August 10, 2018,[15] at Kaleidoscope Film Festival in Arkansas,[16] 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.[17]

Critical response

The Miseducation of Cameron Post has received positive reviews from film critics. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes it has a score of 86% based on 180 reviews, with an average rating of 7.49/10. 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."[18] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 69 out of 100, based on reviews from 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[19]

References
  1. "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  2. Anderson, Ariston (October 26, 2018). "Chloe Grace Moretz Opens Up About Acting, Anxiety and "Becoming an Adult"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  3. "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  4. Siegel, Tatiana (November 18, 2016). "Chloe Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane to Star in Gay Conversion Drama 'The Miseducation of Cameron Post'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  5. McNary, Dave (November 18, 2016). "Chloe Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane Starring in 'Miseducation of Cameron Post'". Variety. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  6. Hipes, Patrick (November 18, 2016). "Chloë Grace Moretz To Star In Pic Based On 'The Miseducation Of Cameron Post'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  7. Zukerman, Daniel (November 3, 2016). "Moretz stars in film shot in Cairo, Coxsackie". The Daily Mail (Greene County). Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  8. Zukerman, Daniel (November 4, 2016). "Area is a convincing stand-in for filmmakers". The Daily Mail (Greene County). Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  9. Olsen, Mark; Anderson, Tre'vell. "'The Miseducation of Cameron Post,' 'Burden' take top prizes at a quiet Sundance Film Festival". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  10. "2018 Sundance Film Festival: Feature Films Announced". Sundance Film Festival. November 29, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  11. "Sundance Program Schedule" (PDF). Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  12. Siegel, Tatiana (March 23, 2018). "Sundance Grand Jury Winner 'Miseducation of Cameron Post' Lands at FilmRise". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  13. Grater, Tom (March 27, 2018). "Sundance Grand Jury prize winner 'The Miseducation Of Cameron Post' gets UK deal (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  14. "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  15. "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". Laemmle Theatres. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  16. "2018 Festival Schedule". Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  17. "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". Launching Films. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  18. "The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  19. "The Miseducation of Cameron Post Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
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