The Miseducation of Cameron Post

With an earthy, realistic tone, this timely drama is fairly straightforward; it's geared toward the source novel's YA fans/audience, but it's patient and warmly sympathetic enough for others. Moretz carries much of The Miseducation of Cameron Post (which is based on Emily M. Danforth's 2012 novel) with another fine, mature, wounded performance. She expresses both thoughtfulness and desire as Cameron faces an uncertain future. When she's asked ridiculous questions ("would you throw a parade for drug addicts?") during therapy, she answers honestly. Sometimes she just doesn't know the answers. Gallagher Jr. also gives a touching performance, putting on a happy face as he tries to be positive about his own repressed sexuality, though something is missing.

Dr. March is arguably the movie's weakest link. Ehle performs the role as an icy villainess; even the screenplay views her without much depth. But the nuances of the rest of the characters make up for it. Director/co-writer Desiree Akhavan (Appropriate Behaviour) starts the film with the characters at a disadvantage, as a church group warns the teens about their behavior and how they'll spend the rest of their lives undoing the "mistakes" of their youth. That doesn't leave much wiggle room. Yet in this atmosphere of fear, hate, and abandonment, Akhavan finds an ending much like that of The Graduate; it's an escape, but one that's filled with both hope and trepidation.