PRAY AWAY
US, 2021, 101 minutes, Colour.
Yvette Cantu Schneider, Michael Bussee, John Paulk, Julie Rodgers, Randy Thomas.
Directed by Kristine Stolakis.
This is a documentary focusing on conversion therapy. It declares its intention at the beginning: anti conversion therapy. However, the documentary takes us on something of a confusing journey.
The reason for the confusion is that it focuses on five individuals, those named in the cast list above. And we see all of them in the early part of the film as very committed individuals advocating conversion therapy, especially religious community therapy more than psychological conditioning.
We are introduced to an organisation, Exodus, from the 1970s, religion-based, gay orientation men and women joining, encouraged to change their orientation by prayer, reflection, advocacy, joining in rallies, joining with Pentecostal-like fervour.
Much of the early part of the film seems to be in favour of these individuals and their mission, all of them having the opportunity to talk to camera.
But, then the shift, over the decades. The five characters, including Michael Bussee who founded Exodus, eventually became disillusioned with the conversion therapy, finding it damaged them as persons, their explaining the processes by which they move to change, acceptance of themselves, making a new free life acknowledging who they really were and their sexual orientation.
The film also shows some of the members of Exodus and other movements like Living Hope who maintain their conversion therapy principles and continue to the present day, fostering the same kind of prayer, reflection, enthusiastic rallies.
Some of the characters presented have maintained their stances over many decades. Also campaigning is the former wife of a significant campaigner for conversion therapy who married her, had a family, but eventually went through the process of re-discovering himself. She is quite bitter against him and fervent in her conversion therapy campaigns.
Many of the bloggers about this film take stands against the five characters condemning their changes and commenting on their double standards.
This is not a documentary which makes a convincing case against conversion therapy but rather observes and listens to those who have been through the processes. Two feature films which may be more dramatic and powerful for audiences are Boy Erased and The Miseducation of Cameron Post.
