The Miseducation of Cameron Post is one of two gay conversion therapy dramas to be arriving with us this year: the second, Boy Erased, is the more hotly-discussed entity, generating award season buzz and primed to feature heavily in predictions and the wider conversation. Miseducation is, on all accounts, the quieter, more humble piece of filmmaking - but that status never once diminishes the power and the potency of this timely coming-of-age story that deserves to be widely seen.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post follows Cameron (Chloë Grace Moretz) as she is sent to a gay conversion therapy centre after being caught with another girl on her prom night. Run by the strict and severe Dr. Lydia Marsh (Jennifer Ehle) and her brother Reverend Rick (John Gallagher Jr.), Cameron is taught to repent for her "same-sex attraction" and explore her internal feelings to find an external cure for such an "illness". Faced with intolerance and denial, Cameron befriends a group of fellow sinners, including Jane (Sasha Lane) and Adam (Forrest Goodluck), who form an unlikely friendship in their new insular community.
Brimming with emotion and poignancy, The Miseducation of Cameron Post explores the backward notion of conversion therapy with a sensitivity and sincerity woven throughout its screenplay. Desiree Akhavan and Cecilia Frugiuele adapt the material from Emily M. Danforth's acclaimed novel of the same name, with its greatest asset being the tremendous level of compassion found within both of their works. It's a bittersweet piece with a clear focus on character and theme work, marrying the simplicity of the story with a complexity stemming from this profound emotion embedded throughout it; it is difficult to not be moved by Miseducation and the confident, authentic way in which it provokes anger, laughter, and empowerment in equal, cathartic doses.
Akhavan's presence as both the film's writer and director greatly benefits Miseducation, presenting a well-observed and measured piece: this is not a film that seeks to paint individuals as villains, but one that skillfully uses raw emotion to illustrate the psychological, mental abuse committed when identity is restricted and condemned. In an impressively effortless way, Akhavan lets her characters be: their vulnerabilities are raw and while their struggles are complicated, their situation is not - they are being forced to externalize years of suppressed emotion so it can be used as a weapon against themselves. With tight framing that conveys intimacy and vulnerability in the moments that require such tenderness, it paints a delicate, quaint portrait that musters so much deep emotion, balanced by the intermittent flashbacks peppered throughout.
A quirky selection of characters populate Miseducation, with the solid ensemble all bringing heartfelt performances to the fold. By incorporating the coming-of-age element so richly, their journeys are universal in a way, while deeply personal to each of the attendees of "God's Promise"; Sasha Lane's Jane and Forrest Goodluck's Adam are the outsiders rebelling against their confinement, with the characters softening as their backstories develop to terrific effect. Owen Campbell's Mark doesn't quite get the attention he deserves - particularly after a sudden turn in the narrative the marks the beginning of the third act - but Campbell's performance is so expertly-rendered and he so intensely delivers a stirring passage that scorches with its every word. It's a marvelous, overlooked performance that undoubtedly leaves its mark despite a less than desired focus.
As the camp's leaders, Jennifer Ehle and John Gallagher Jr are formidable in challenging roles, with the former commanding in her presence while the latter infuses a surprising amount of sympathy into his performance, adding further depth to Akhavan and Frugiuele's screenplay. Much is left unsaid regarding their dynamic, offering the film an additional layer that emphasises the film's themes of identity and acceptance in a more subtle, unspoken way.
Yet, this is a moment for Chloe Grace Mortez to prove her talent, one which she embraces to deliver the strongest performance of her career to date. It's a timid turn at times, left mostly to Mortez's slightest expression and gentle body language to speak Cameron's deepest thoughts; that she manages to elucidate so much with comparatively little is a tremendous testament, thoughtfully presenting the character not as someone struggling with her identity per se, but with an understandable insecurity in speaking such a truth in the hostile environment. It could be mistaken as a blank, emotionless performance -- but there's an unbelievable amount of depth to her shading of Cameron, offering an honest portrait that doesn't rest on melodrama or theatricality. It's so very beautifully, carefully acted and the nuance that pervades throughout her performance is astonishing.
If there's a downside to Miseducation, it is that runtime: at 90 minutes, it seems unable to fully explore such a weighty story. Imagine the overwhelming power had Mark's subplot been given the attention it deserves, or if the film had bit more ferociously into those that enable these practices to take individuals hostage to their beliefs and desires? While Miseducation does what it does effectively and appears content in its modesty, it does seemingly lack energy at times. It, quite literally, trails off, leaving you disappointingly unfulfilled as the story looks set to advance; in fact, it feels as though it ended half an hour prematurely. With more screen time afforded to the story, this could have been cultivated into something even stronger than it is in its current form.
Desiree Akhavan is Miseducation's beating heart and, with the help of co-writer Cecilia Frugiuele and the strong ensemble led by Chloe Grace Mortez, she crafts a tender, sobering and timely exploration of an audacious system that shockingly still exists today. Its understated approach turns in a graceful, provocative satire that sharpens its teeth without actually sinking them in. A bracing, straightforward narrative but thematically profound experience, The Miseducation of Cameron is one of the more quiet, decidedly reflective works of the year - but that doesn't make it any less urgent or necessary. Seek this one out.
★★★★★★★★☆☆
(8/10)
Summary: The Miseducation of Cameron Post tells a rousing story in a truly authentic, powerfully-raw manner that benefits from the compassion of writer-director Desiree Akhavan and a career-best performance from Chloe Grace Mortez.