‘MISEDUCATION’ AVOIDS THE CAMP
FORREST GOODLUCK, SASHA LANE, CENTER, AND CHLOË GRACE MORETZ STAR IN “THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST.”
“The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” in which a young woman is sent to gay-conversion therapy, assiduously avoids the high camp and melodramatics that have accompanied past movies on this topic, including “But I’m a Cheerleader” and “Save Me.”
It’s a gambit that turns out to be alternately effective and slack.
“Miseducation,” which features Houston native Sasha Lane (“American Honey”), is all about the nuances, and though these well-observed moments are often welcome, they sometimes stifle the film’s dramatic pulse. This is essentially a movie about teenagers stuck in an overly strict summer camp, and watching youths quietly whiling away the hours in a detention center is not exactly scintillating conflict.
Director Desiree Akhavan gets things off to a rousing start in the wonderfully executed setup, when Cameron (Chloë Grace Moretz, at her most restrained) gets busted while making out with her girlfriend at prom. In short order, she is dispatched to the God’s Promise camp to change her evil ways. But once she gets there, she doesn’t do much except observe, dealing with the situation as if she were writing a term paper about the experience. It’s not a false performance — it’s meant to be subdued — but it comes off flat.
Fortunately, some of the people around Cameron turn out to be more interesting. The best in show is John Gallagher Jr., who brings out both the creepy and comforting sides of “ex-gay” instructor Rick — a seemingly nice guy who’s oblivious to the harm that he’s inflicting on his charges.
Akhavan rallies the film at the end, with a lovely scene that takes place on the back of a truck. It’s both understated and powerful, a vivid reminder of what this film set out to do.