Painfully beautiful with outstanding performances.
In 1993, a teenage girl is forced into a gay conversion therapy center by her conservative guardians.
It’s a brave movie to make, especially in America, but its boldness won it the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. It rightfully took home that prize with excellent writing, haunting cinematography and suburb direction. The brave thing about this movie is the fact its villain is religion. The conversion therapy camp uses their god as a justification for everything and its painful to watch, it evokes such deep emotional response - primarily cause across the world these places still exist.
Chloë Grace Moretz offers a career defining performance, it’s layered, believable and subtle. This is certainly nothing like we’ve ever seen her do before. John Gallagher Jr. plays the Reverend perfectly and evokes a real hatred from the viewer. His character does get a significant amount of development though, which I will say, without spoiling the film does add an interesting layer of additional complexity. The supporting cast including Sasha Lane and Forrest Goodluck are perfect in their roles too.
Overall a powerful, emotional, realistic and sad film. One not miss as it rolls out across the world throughout August and September.
4.5 Stars
Review by Benjamin Maio Mackay
Screening courtesy of Rialto Distribution
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