The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018) Reviews

• Affecting drama about 'gay conversion therapy'

  stimp-12019-01-03

  "How is programming people to hate themselves not emotional abuse?" That question, posed by the title character, is at the heart of The Miseducation of Cameron Post, in which Chloe Grace Moretz portrays a teen put in a "gay conversion therapy" camp. If you think gay conversion therapy is a sensible idea and not abusive, then this award-winning film is not for you. For the rest of us, Miseducation is worth the 91-minute run time. Moretz, one of the best screen actors in her age bracket, does a more than competent job as Cameron. And her scenes with worldly campmates played by Sasha Lane and Forrest Goodluck crackle with authenticity and humor. The story and dialogue are, overall, just "OK." There's nothing in the story that'll make you exclaim "wow," and I don't think anything in the dialogue's any better than the prosaic quote above. Still, there's affecting drama here as we watch young people whose very lives and beings are under siege for same-sex attraction.

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• More than about sexual orientation

  anandshakti2018-09-13

  I am a 71 year old heterosexual woman and I loved it. It left me with a large lump in my throat so I went home to see what it was about. And big surprise it took me back to my high school years when I felt so frustrated, bored, trapped by the stupidity of what I was spending my days doing. Taking tests on regurgitated information that didn't interest me at all. I just cried the lump out that was a ball of similar feelings to the ones portrayed in the movie. This was outwardly worse and very poignant and it makes me understand why so many kids today are lost and angry. They are right to be angry. Who is caring for who they are- not who everyone wants them to be? Thanks for your courageous movie. I think almost anyone could get something out of it.

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• Serious version of But I'm a Cheerleader

  sfdphd2018-04-08

  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.

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• Could Have Done More

  allenwhybray2018-08-03

  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.

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• A low-key character drama that lacks a little punch.

  Pjtaylor-96-1380442018-09-09

  Set amongst a backdrop of insidious emotional manipulation and subtle, self-hate inducing abuse, 'The Miseducation Of Cameron Post (2018)' is a low-key character-drama that excels at letting itself play out in an unexaggerated, 'realistic' way. It condemns its central situation - and specifically the very real institutions and mindsets that it showcases - simply by portraying it in as honest a way as possible, thereby allowing the audience to come to their own, hopefully universal conclusions about the underhanded evil on display (whether or not it's perpetrators know it to be so). However, the opportunity for social-commentary such a setting provides isn't quite as capitalised on as you might expect, since the judgement of its antagonistic characters and thought-processes very much rests on its audience's shoulders. In this way, it almost feels like it lacks the punch to properly sink into the issues on display. Yet, the lack of 'hand-holding' is also appreciated and the viewer is given perhaps more agency than usual. All in all, the almost 'back-seat' approach works for the genre but it's still a double-edged sword. It also applies to the character development, too, as so much of it is internal that one could mistake it for being absent. However, our lead undertakes a distinct and impactful journey. It usually occurs behind her eyes, out of our vision, but emerges in several key yet somewhat indirect moments to make for a wholistic and believable self-discovery. It could've perhaps been given some more room to breathe, alongside a few extra scenes dedicated to inner turmoil in order to make it perhaps more tangible, but is representative of the flick's overall 'laid-back', 'closed-off' vibe. The few moments when it bursts to the fore are powerful, too. The performances are universally great and Moretz is fantastic in the down-played lead role. Everything's generally so subtle, though, and that makes most of the movie a rather 'floaty' affair; there's only so much investment possible when everyone is so guarded and secretive. Still, the overall experience is entertaining, engaging and, sometimes, somewhat upsetting (seeing what these characters have to go through, which is still happening in our world right now, is tough at times). It's a picture that leaves you hopeful but actually has slight, somewhat intangible sting in the tail. There's plenty to like here, but perhaps more could've been done with the material. 6/10

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