Page 6 February 1, 2018
Entertainment
Film Review
The Miseducation of Cameron Post Wins Top Honors at Sundance Film Festival
Check It Out
By Morgan Rojas for www.cinemacy.
com
There are so many good things to say
about The Miseducation of Cameron Post,
the second feature film from director Desiree
Akhavan and the winner of the U.S.
Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film
Festival’s highest honor. Adapted from Emily
Danforth’s acclaimed teen novel, Miseducation
is the coming-of-age story of a young
teen sent to a religious camp to “pray the
gay away.” Led by Chloë Grace Moretz, the
entire cast brings life to these characters,
mixing heart and humor for moving performances.
What’s more, one of the most
inspiring parts of this production, besides
Moretz’s female-empowering performance,
is the below-the-line hiring -- as Akhavan
herself, along with the film’s cinematographer,
editor, co-writer and music supervisors,
compose an
all-female crew.
Cameron Post
(Moretz) sits in
a bible study
group, silently
observing the
environment
around her.
Having grown
up in a Christian
household, it
has been said
Morgan Rojas
since day one that there is a very clear
right way and wrong way to live in the
eyes of the Lord, which does not bode
Chloë Grace Moretz, Forrest Goodluck, and Sasha Lane in The Miseducation of Cameron
Post. Courtesy of the Sundance Institute.
well for Cameron being that she likes girls.
When she is caught engaging in sexual activity
with her secret girlfriend on prom night,
Cameron’s life is instantly turned upside
down as she is immediately sent to God’s
Promise, a gay conversion therapy school
run by Reverend Rick (John Gallagher, Jr.)
and Dr. Lydia Marsh (Jennifer Ehle). This
“school” claims to cure “SSA,” or “Same
Sex Attraction” through Christian teaching.
Luckily, like Cameron, not all of the
students – or disciples, as the school calls
them – are on the same page with the
school’s mission. Cameron quickly finds
kinship in rebellious classmates Jane (Sasha
Lane) and Adam (Forrest Goodluck), who
smoke poorly-grown pot and eye-roll their
way through the school’s stream of hokey
activities -- like worksheets and collage art
therapy -- intended to trace back to events
in the students’ lives which “caused them
to be gay.” It’s evident that no one at God’s
Promise wants to be at God’s Promise,
but Cameron and her new friends rely on
each other to get through this process as
relatively unscathed as possible.
Chloë Grace Moretz is subtle yet astounding
in the title role. The authenticity
she delivers as a teen struggling with her
sexual identity proves she was absolutely
the perfect casting choice, and she doesn’t
shy away from the movie’s more demanding
scenes of physicality with other women.
Her vulnerability in this role makes it easy
for audiences to see just how awful this
experience is for those who are forced to
partake in it (fortunately, as was reported
at the post-screening Q&A, more and more
states are beginning to outlaw conversion
therapy in growing numbers).
John Gallagher, Jr.
as the conflicted Rev. Rick
especially shines in his role.
“Rick eating cereal” was
the movie’s scene-stealing
moment. Also, Ehle as the
domineering school leader
gives another brilliant performance.
Since the release of her
debut feature, Appropriate
Behavior, Akhavan has
shown that the ambitions of
her artistry have grown in the
last four years. Back then,
it seemed like a plausible
assumption that she would
continue to work in niche
hipster fare and follow in the
footsteps of Lena Dunham’s
style of trendy filmmaking.
But with this project, she
proves that she has much
bigger aspirations as well as
skills. Akhavan has created
a film that is appealing to
everyone and specifically
meaningful to the young
LGBTQ community. The
Miseducation of Cameron
Post serves as a beacon of
light for anyone struggling
with aspects of their lives and proves that
being true to yourself is the only way to
live. •
The Colossus Rises by Peter Lerangis
Reviewed by Katrena
Woodson,
Teen and Young
Reader Librarian,
El Segundo Public
Library
This week’s review
is of The Colossus
Rises from the Seven
Wonders series by
Peter Lerangis. Fans
of Riordan will rejoice
to find a new series revolving
around ancient
myths and legends.
Lerangis invites readers
to tag along to the
far corners of the world
on a new adventure
filled with excitement,
danger and myths.
The main character
is Jack McKinley, a
13-year-old boy who
Seven Wonders
just happens to be a
descendent of an ancient civilization with a
rare genetic condition that will lead to his
death in a few months unless he is able to tap
into the ancient power of Atlantis. However
when Atlantis was destroyed, the source of
its power was stolen and divided into seven
pieces and hidden. These pieces are the key
to Jack’s survival. They are known as Loculi
and they haven’t been seen in thousands of
years. The only clue Jack has is that these
Loculi are supposed to be hidden in the
seven wonders of the ancient world. Jack
and a small group of other teens called “the
select” must work together to find and collect
the Loculi.
Lerangis does an excellent job of combining
modern life with ancient myths and legends
Katrena Woodson
and packaging it like
an action/adventure
movie. From the first
page, readers will be
able to tell that this is
a fast-paced book that
they won’t be able to
put down and will
leave them on the edge
of their seats.
The El Segundo
Public Library offers
access to its collection
of titles in a variety
of formats, including
traditional hardback,
e-books and books
on CD. To check out
The Colossus Rises
by Peter Lerangis, or
any other title on your
to-read list, please visit
the library to apply
for your library card,
or please contact the
reference staff for further assistance. •
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