12/3/18
I will get the biggest issue with this movie out of the way first. This movie has a narrow audience. If you know anything about gay conversion therapy/camps and oppose them, this movie is going to give you some specific examples of why these facilities and practices are unacceptable and wrong. It isn't going to break much new ground. If you believe that being LGBTQ+ is a choice, then you won't see this movie. If you are in the middle, I don't think the movie will be that attractive to you. I think movies like this continue to push people into their existing camps and don't do much to change people's viewpoints.
For anyone interested in seeing the movie after what I stated above, I enjoyed it. Lucas Hedges is great! While I didn't like Ben is Back, it wasn't because of his acting. Nicole Kidman and Russel Crow are also very convincing characters. You see Kidman evolve on screen even though she is the B plot. Flea, yes that Flea from Back to the Future, is in this movie. His character is somewhat confusing. Without reading the source material, his position at the camp feels a bit odd. I understand that he is a heterosexual man trying to instill masculine qualities into these participants.
There are a few scenes that are hard to watch. One in particular sets the entire premise of the movie into motion. It should get your heart racing and build your anger up quickly. This is probably the one scene that is new ground for most people, even those familiar with conversion therapy. It had to be included in the movie and the fact that it lasts for so long, or at least what seems like so long, is important to the movie.
At the end of the day this adaptation is probably pretty good, but I haven't read the source material. I haven't seen The Miseducation of Cameron Post, but I am interested in how it tackles the same subject matter.
The distribution of this movie is probably somewhat limited for most people. There isn't anything in it that screams for a big screen, but if you do watch at home you need to devote the time to it.
I will echo the 'PSA' at the end of the movie and reiterate that gay conversion therapy is an unacceptable practice, especially on minors.