THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST

By Desiree AKHAVAN

FILMRISE - as DISTR Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, Airline, USA

Drama - Completed 2018

In 1993, a teenage girl is forced into a gay conversion therapy center by her conservative guardians.

Festivals
& Awards

Sundance 2018
Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
    • Year of production
    • 2018
    • Genres
    • Drama
    • Countries
    • USA
    • Languages
    • ENGLISH
    • Duration
    • 91 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Desiree AKHAVAN
    • Producer(s)
    • Michael CLARK (BEACHSIDE FILMS), Rachel CHANGCHIEN (BEACHSIDE FILMS), Rob CRISTIANO (BEACHSIDE FILMS), Alex TURTLETAUB (BEACHSIDE FILMS), Jonathan MONTEPARE
    • Synopsis
    • Set in the year 1993, Cameron Post (Chloe Grace Moretz) is a high school junior. She lives with her Aunt Ruth (Kerry Butler) ever since her parents died. She attends Bible study and makes out with her best friend Coley (Quinn Shepherd) after school. At the homecoming dance, Cameron and Coley sneak into their car, smoke weed, and start having sex... but Cameron's homecoming date Jamie discovers them. Ruth finds out, presumably from Jamie, and distraught, decides to send Cameron to "God's Promise," a religious gay conversion camp for young people who "struggle with same-sex attraction."

      Cameron meets the cheerful Reverend Rick (John Gallagher Jr.) who introduces her to her room and her roommate, Erin (Emily Skeggs), whose side of the room is decorated with Minnesota Vikings paraphernalia. He explains she will get decorating and mail privileges later on. He checks her bag, removing a cassette tape she brought, and makes her sign her contract with the facility. The students are known as "disciples." That night, Cameron dreams of the first time she had sex with Coley but is awoken by the staff's nightly flashlight checks into the room to make sure the disciples are in their rooms. The next day, Erin shows Cameron around the lunchroom and tells her about the other students. Erin is peppy and genuinely believes that God's Promise can fix her. She explains that Reverend Rick once too experienced same-sex attractions, but overcame them. On her first day of class, the director of the camp, Dr. Lydia Marsh (Jennifer Ehle) introduces herself to Cameron, welcoming her to God's Promise.

      Cameron goes for a run every morning, and one morning spies two other disciples, Adam (Forrest Goodluck) and Jane (Sasha Lane) sneaking into a cellar and smoking weed. Later, she has her first counseling session with Rick and Lydia. They give her a drawing of an iceberg, explaining that the same-sex attraction is the tip, but they need to examine the reasons underneath. They ask her to fill her iceberg out, and she goes and looks at the icebergs of other students, learning about how they ended up at God's Promise. Jane, a free spirit, catches her looking at hers, and tells Cameron to write whatever she thinks they want to hear. Cameron tells her she saw Jane and Adam smoking and asks where she got the weed. Jane tells her she grows it herself and invites her to join them sometime.

      While on a field trip, Cameron sees Jane steal a music cassette, and briefly decides to do the same - until she sees Erin spot her briefly. She puts the cassette back, but Erin insists on telling the adults, insisting she is doing it for Cameron's own good, trying to help her fight sin. Another disciple, Mark (Owen Campbell), helps convince Erin not to say anything and to keep it between them all. Erin begrudgingly agrees, and Cameron thanks Mark. Cameron begins hanging out with Adam and Jane regularly, going on long hikes. They share stories of their pasts, and Cameron wonders why they don't just