In 1993, teenager Cameron is sent to a gay conversion therapy center after getting caught with another girl in the back seat of a car on prom night. Run by the strict and severe Dr. Lydia Marsh and her brother, Reverend Rick, the center is built upon repenting for "same sex attraction." In the face of intolerance and denial, Cameron meets a group of fellow sinners including the amputee stoner Jane, and her friend, the Lakota Two-Spirit, Adam. Together, this group of teenagers form an unlikely family as they fight to survive.
Firstly, props to this movie for even existing, because the topic causes some people to get rather angry and murder-y.
I know I say this a lot, but the cinematography of this movie has obviously had a lot of thought and care put into it, the looks, the structure, why the camera shows what it does, all that. The soundtrack is very unsettling, not in a creepy way, but just an uncomfortable “this is weird” way, and I think it’s supposed to be. They sing heyyeahyeahyeahyeah so that’s +10 points, easy. The plot is so good and fairly unpredictable, especially the hard hitter towards the end, which you’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve seen it. I can appreciate how the leaders of the totallynotacult are portrayed, not as evil masterminds who like torturing gay kids, but as just heavily misguided people who truly believe they are doing a great service. The cast is great, Chlöe grace moretz does a great job, even if at times it’s a tad emotionless, and the rest don’t stand out too much but all have their moments.
A very important movie that hopefully starts some discussion about conversion camps. And why they should burn.
Comments