The Miseducation of Cameron Post
2018 · Directed by Desiree Akhavan
Original language: English
- drama
The story
Pennsylvania, 1993. After getting caught with another girl, teenager Cameron Post is sent to a conversion therapy center run by the strict Dr. Lydia Marsh and her brother, Reverend Rick, whose treatment consists in repenting for feeling “same sex attraction.” Cameron befriends fellow sinners Jane and Adam, thus creating a new family to deal with the surrounding intolerance.
What it’s like
Muted, sun-bleached Americana rendered in washed-out greens, beige institutional walls and flat overcast daylight, with the rural Montana-style landscapes framed wide and empty so the characters look small against them. Akhavan's camera stays patient and observant, often holding on ordinary rooms, church pews and dormitory bunks in cool natural light, while the score is sparse and folksy, with long stretches of near silence broken by the crunch of gravel and the hum of old cars. The vibe is wry, aching and quietly defiant, a mix of dark humor and dread that suits a slow afternoon or a late-night watch when you want something honest rather than comforting. Pacing is measured and episodic, and the emotional register swings between bruised tenderness and sharp satire of the centre's rituals. The arc follows a teenager who slowly finds a chosen family among other outsiders and learns to hold her own sense of self against coercion. Intensity is moderate: sexual content is brief and non-explicit, there is no graphic violence, but the psychological cruelty of the conversion program, shaming, and a few harrowing moments of humiliation land hard. For viewers drawn to coming-of-age stories with a sharp, humane edge and an appetite for queer and religious-trauma themes.
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