I got to see this at a theatre today, and it was really, really good. If you can get to see it, you should. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to, because I didn’t know if ANY cinemas in Australia would be showing it, but there are three cinemas in my state (two in Sydney, one in Newcastle) showing limited screenings, and I went to the closest. The story is tight (limiting the story to the camp with occasional flashbacks was the right way to go), the actors are FANTASTIC, and the cinematography is beautiful. It’s a very honest adaptation. Even though there are small differences, tonally, it feels the same as the book, and it’s a lot closer to the source material than, say, Love, Simon is to Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.

I also said to my partner that it shows that you can make two movies with different tones about the same subject matter and still have them be a true account, comparing this to But I’m a Cheerleader. Both show the white supremacy and racism in this kind of therapy. Both show that it’s a fake science, with faith twisted up like a pretzel to justify it. Both show that it’s a system that singles out and crushes those who can’t pass as gender conforming. Both show the threat of ostracisation unless the kids submit to assimilation. Both show that the only way to win the game is to nope out all together, because that is the only way to survive something’s that meant to destroy you. I highly recommend watching both, anyhow, if you’re interested in the subject matter.