these places do exist today. i went to one of these schools. carolina springs academy in SC and pillars of hope on costa rica. just google 'wwasps' and you'll see. its the umbrella organization 'worldwide association of specialty programs and schools' that all of these boarding schools operated under. there are now lawsuits, and the truth is coming out. there was a real riot at my school in costa rica. it was a few years before i got there. you can read the stories of real survivors at www.wwaspssurvivors.com. including my own. this movie was pretty accurate to what we went through, only there was NO contact with the opposite sex, and we could never talk.

Not really sure why it was categorized as a suspense/thriller... there was nothing suspenseful or thrilling about it at all. The beginning was a bit slow, and to be honest, it didn't really pick up until the last thirty minutes or so. I think the only reason I kept watching was because I knew it was based on actual events, and that compelled me to continue. It was very 'Island of Dr. Moreau'-esque. I didn't really make that connection until about two-thirds through the movie, but once I did, there was no denying the parallels. It's almost as if it was a cross between 'The Island of Dr. Moreau' and 'Hotel Rwanda,' as disturbing as that sounds. It had the same general plot line as IoDM but also with the same sense of candidness that was in HR. Like I said... disturbing... especially when you consider that it's based on real events.

As someone who was in places similar to what this movie portrays, it was an excellent film. It did an excellent job of showing how places like that are run. How people can be staff members and think they are really doing good. How easily kids can turn on one another if given the slightest idea of freedom. And the fact the director of the place was just as twisted as the idea of the camp.. It all still makes me sick. The film absolutely hit home a lot of times. I thought they did an excellent job showing this. They may not have showed all that happens at these places, but they showed what needed to be showed and I am glad to know people are a little more knowledgeable now that they have seen this film.

Within the first ten seconds, the movie introduction says, "There are over 200 hundred Boot Camps..." -_- Other than that, this movie was pretty amazing. I felt captivated from the first scene, and only became more intrigued as the story line progressed. There were some satisfyingly, unexpected turnouts, and I loved that. However, the ending...I didn't buy it.Overall, the plot made me think, and I could really feel for the characters. It's shocking to see that camps like this exist, but I feel that this film has definitely raised awareness. Definitely worth watching. Plus, Mila Kunis is a beautiful woman to watch =)