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The Miseducation of Cameron Post (film)

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The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDesiree Akhavan
Written by
  • Desiree Akhavan
  • Cecilia Frugiuele
Based onThe Miseducation of Cameron Post
by Emily M. Danforth
Produced by
  • Michael B. Clark
  • Alex Turtletaub
  • Cecilia Frugiuele
  • Jonathan Montepare
Starring
CinematographyAshley Connor
Edited bySara Shaw
Music byJulian Wass
Production
companies
  • Beachside
  • Parkville Pictures
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 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]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$900,000[2]
Box office$2 million[3]

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a 2018 coming-of-age 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 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 $2 million globally.

Plot

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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 comes upon the girls having sex in Coley's car, and ultimately outs them both.

Cameron is raised by her aunt Ruth, who is a devout Christian, and sends Cameron to God's Promise, a gay conversion therapy center for teenagers, who are called "disciples" there. 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; two members of his church had "rescued" him from a gay bar. Cameron's roommate Erin is repressing her homosexuality and earnestly believes in the camp's program.

Cameron befriends two fellow "disciples," Jane Fonda, who was raised in a hippie commune, and Adam Red Eagle, a Lakota two-spirit youth whose father has converted to Christianity and believes Adam should be "cured". The three teenagers bond over their mutual rebelliousness and skepticism of the camp's purpose.

During a group session, Cameron says that she thinks Coley is "perfect". Dr. Marsh says that the girl's homosexuality comes from a misplaced urge to be like Coley. Cameron 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, learning that Coley blames her for "seducing" her and that she outed Cameron. Jane reads the letter with Cameron and destroys it, calling Coley weak-willed and treacherous. Crying, Cameron calls her aunt Ruth and asks to be brought home. Ruth turns her down, saying she is doing this because she loves the girl.

Cameron tries to adapt better to the center routine, exercising with Erin to Christian work-out tapes. One night while Cameron is having a sexual dream, Erin wakes her up and 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.

Mark, a disciple who had 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 recites a passage from 2 Corinthians 12. He begins to break down, shouting, "When I am weak, I am strong!" until he is forcibly restrained by Dr. Marsh. That night, Cameron sees large quantities of blood in one of the bathrooms.

The next morning, Dr. Marsh and Reverend Rick call a meeting, saying that Mark was badly injured during the night and is stable in a hospital. They do not explain what happened. After two of the "disciples" disrupt the group meeting, the adults hold a series of one-to-one meetings instead.

During their meeting, Rick tells 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; she asks Rick if he and Dr. Marsh have any idea what they are doing. Rick does not answer and bursts into tears. A government inquiry is launched into Mark's self-mutilation, but the investigator is unwilling to accept Cameron's assertion that God's Promise is inherently emotionally abusive.

Disillusioned, Cameron, Jane and Adam decide to run away from the camp under cover of an early morning hike. They walk to a nearby road and hitchhike away.

Cast

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Production

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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

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

Release

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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][12] Shortly after, FilmRise and Vertigo Releasing acquired US and UK distribution rights to the film, respectively.[13][14] The film went onto screen at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22, 2018.[15]

It was originally scheduled to be released in the United States on August 10, 2018,[16] at the Kaleidoscope Film Festival in Arkansas,[17] 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.[18]

Reception

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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 188 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. 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."[19] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 69 out of 100, based on reviews from 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". Sundance Film Festival. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. 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 (2018)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  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. ^ Biancolli, Amy (May 23, 2018). "Filmmakers transform Hudson Valley's geography into versatile landscapes". Times Union. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  8. ^ Platt, Frances Marion (February 26, 2018). "Two Hudson Valley-produced films win big at Sundance". Hudson Valley One. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  9. ^ Olsen, Mark; Anderson, Tre'vell (January 28, 2018). "'The Miseducation of Cameron Post,' 'Burden' take top prizes at a quiet Sundance Film Festival". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  10. ^ Olsen, Mark (August 2, 2018). "'The Miseducation of Cameron Post' and the lessons of the Sundance grand jury prize for Desiree Akhavan". Los Angeles Times.
  11. ^ "2018 Sundance Film Festival: Feature Films Announced". Sundance Film Festival. November 29, 2017. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  12. ^ "Sundance Program Schedule" (PDF). Sundance Film Festival. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  13. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (March 23, 2018). "Sundance Grand Jury Winner 'Miseducation of Cameron Post' Lands at FilmRise". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". Tribeca Film Festival. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  16. ^ "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". Laemmle Theatres. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  17. ^ "Kaleidoscope Film Festival continues". Arkansas Times. August 16, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  18. ^ "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". Launching Films. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  19. ^ "The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  20. ^ "The Miseducation of Cameron Post Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
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