Because our universe is chaotic and vengeful, this marks the second time in one calendar week that I am writing a blog about one Chloe Grace Moretz. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Moretz explained that her upcoming 1990s-era gay conversion therapy drama, based on the popular book The Miseducation of Cameron Post, is more worthwhile than the other upcoming 1990s-era gay conversion therapy drama based on the popular book Boy Erased.
The former, Moretz explains, was directed by a bisexual Iranian American woman named Desiree Akhavan, focuses on female characters, stars few “celebrities,” and “struggled to find distribution” despite winning the Grand Jury prize at Sundance this year. Boy Erased, on the other hand, was written and directed by a straight white man (Joel Edgerton), stars Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman, tells the story of a white boy, and will be released by Focus Features.
Now that you have the context, here’s what Moretz has to say:
“You look at the other movie — that movie has distribution already, it’s going to come out, it’s going to be big — it’s written and directed by a white man, it’s shot through a straight male gaze. You just look at the discrepancy and that’s shocking. Even though people want these movies to be told, they want these things to be said, they’re not backing it enough… They’re still backing first and foremost the straight white man who is going to be putting out the movie that’s the safer bet. They want something that’s a pretty package, but that’s still tolerable and acceptable. And I think that’s unfair. Queer movies should be told through a queer lens and created by queer people.”
On the one hand, I am excited to see both films. On the other hand, I’m screaming, “Your move, Lucas Hedges!