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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
Screenplay by
  • Desiree Akhavan
  • Cecilia Frugiuele
Based on
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
by Emily M. Danforth
Produced by
  • Cecilia Frugiuele
  • Michael B. Clark
  • Alex Turtletaub
  • 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 comedy-drama film directed by Desiree Akhavan, who co-wrote the screenplay with 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. Set in 1993, the film follows Cameron Post, a teenage orphan sent to a gay conversion therapy center by her conservative Christian guardians.

An international co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, 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 in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2018, by Vertigo Releasing. It received positive reviews from critics and grossed $2 million worldwide.

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, Jamie Lowry, catches the girls having sex in Coley's car, and apparently ultimately outs them both.

As an orphan, Cameron is raised by her aunt Ruth, a devout Christian, who sends her to God's Promise, a gay conversion therapy center for teenagers, who are referred to as 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 and that two members of his church had "rescued" him from a gay bar.

Cameron's roommate, Erin, is downplaying 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 stems from a misplaced desire to be like Coley. Cameron covertly phones her during a restaurant visit and apologizes for how things turned out. Coley says she sent Cameron a letter, but the call is ended abruptly to avoid being caught. After disrupting a kitchen chore session, Cameron has her mail privileges unexpectedly granted by Dr. Marsh, including Coley's letter.

Coley reads the letter, learning that she 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, she calls Ruth and begs her to be brought home, but Ruth refuses, saying she is doing this because she loves her.

Cameron tries to adapt better to the center routine, exercising with Erin to Christian workout tapes. One night, while Cameron is having a sexual dream, Erin wakes her up, and both girls kiss. Erin helps Cameron achieve an orgasm, but then regrets it, asking her 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 breaks down as he recites a passage from 2 Corinthians 12, shouting, "When I am weak, I am strong!" until he is forcibly restrained by Dr. Marsh. That night, Cameron hears yelling and 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 but 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. She asks why the staff was not monitoring Mark more closely, then she asks him 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 run away from the camp under the 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 that 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]

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

Release

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The Miseducation of Cameron Post 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 afterwards, 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]

The film 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.[18] It was scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2018,[19] but was pushed back to September 7, 2018.[20]

Reception

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The Miseducation of Cameron Post received positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 185 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The Miseducation of Cameron Post tells its timely coming-of-age story with wit, compassion, and an affecting overall generosity of spirit."[21]

Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". Sundance Institute. 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. 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 Institute. November 29, 2017. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Sundance Program Schedule" (PDF). Sundance Institute. 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. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. 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. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (July 10, 2018). "'The Miseducation Of Cameron Post' Trailer: Chloe Grace Moretz Converts A Gay-Conversion Center". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  19. ↑ "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". Launching Films. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  20. ↑ Travis, Ben (August 8, 2018). "The Miseducation of Cameron Post – UK Poster and Trailer Exclusive". Empire. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  21. ↑ "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  22. ↑ "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". Metacritic. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
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