Boot Camp (film)
Encyclopedia
Boot Camp is a 2007
psychological suspense thriller feature film
written by Agatha Dominik and John Cox
and directed by Christian Duguay
.
The film's working title was Straight Edge and was shot in Fiji
as the first film to utilize the southwest Pacific Ocean
island country's five-year-old incentive program that had been designed to create jobs while building a film production infrastructure. It is about teenagers sent to a rehabilitation
camp (in Fiji) who are then abused and brainwashed. The film stars Mila Kunis
, Gregory Smith and Peter Stormare
. Filming began on October 2, 2006 in Fiji and then continued in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The film was released on DVD internationally in 2007 and in the U.S. on August 25, 2009.
Dr. Hail, who runs the camp, forces the teens to work constantly. He has them clean the camp, grow plants, and has them rebuild the camp after it was damaged in a storm. Campers are required to wear color coded t-shirts. First, new arrivals are given black t-shirts. They progress to yellow and then white. The teens earn a white shirt once they have been "corrected". They do not do work; they become staff members and abuse the other inmates and monitor their work. Among the staff is an ex-soldier. He is very tough towards the inmates and makes deals with girls in exchange for sex.
The main teenagers featured are Sophie, her boyfriend Ben, Danny and Trina. As time passes on the island, Sophie rebels against Dr. Hail, and once Ben joins her, the two escape to a nearby island. However, they are recaptured, and Ben is told he will be sent home. One morning, while on a run, Logan, has the male teenagers go swimming. However, Danny, who can't swim, drowns, and Logan tries to get Ben to help cover it up by threatening him with solitary confinement, but Ben refuses.
Meanwhile, Sophie discovers that Logan has raped Trina, and when Logan is put before the camp to admit responsibility for Danny's death, she reveals this to the rest of the teenagers, many of whom also were offered yellow shirts by Logan in exchange for sex. As the teenagers surround Logan, Sophie turns the attention onto Hail, at which point Ben announces to the shocked teenagers that this isn't the first death to occur on a camp run by Dr. Hail.
The teenagers run amok, burning down the entire campsite, and then go after Logan, who dies when his jeep crashes into a burning building. At this point they turn their attention solely to Hail, who tries to shoot them in the hope that he can restore order. However, after finding out his gun wasn't loaded, he is thrown into solitary confinement, to be left for the police to arrest. As the film fades out we see images of the teenagers celebrating freedom swimming in the ocean. A message also appears on screen stating that since the 1970s, when these type of camps were introduced in real life, over 40 deaths have occurred.
under the pretext of parental love."
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
psychological suspense thriller feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
written by Agatha Dominik and John Cox
John Cox (screenwriter)
John Cox is an American screenwriter born and currently residing in Los Angeles, CA. Cox co-wrote the film Boot Camp , and the most current draft of Sgt. Rock for Joel Silver and Warner Bros. He also wrote Virulents for New Regency and director John Moore...
and directed by Christian Duguay
Christian Duguay (director)
Christian Duguay is a Canadian director. He directed the Emmy nominated miniseries Hitler: The Rise of Evil, which aired on the CBC in May 2003. He is best known for directing the action films Screamers starring Peter Weller and Roy Dupuis and The Art of War starring Wesley Snipes and Michael...
.
The film's working title was Straight Edge and was shot in Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
as the first film to utilize the southwest Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
island country's five-year-old incentive program that had been designed to create jobs while building a film production infrastructure. It is about teenagers sent to a rehabilitation
Rehabilitation (penology)
Rehabilitation means; To restore to useful life, as through therapy and education or To restore to good condition, operation, or capacity....
camp (in Fiji) who are then abused and brainwashed. The film stars Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis
Milena "Mila" Kunis is an American actress. Her work includes the role of Jackie Burkhart on the TV series That '70s Show and the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated series Family Guy...
, Gregory Smith and Peter Stormare
Peter Stormare
is a Swedish film, stage, voice and television actor as well as a theatrical director, playwright and musician.- Early life :...
. Filming began on October 2, 2006 in Fiji and then continued in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The film was released on DVD internationally in 2007 and in the U.S. on August 25, 2009.
Plot
This film is the story of a group of unruly teenagers whose parents send them to a rehabilitation boot camp to turn them around. The camp collects each child individually, then delivers them to the boot camp facility on a remote island in Fiji. There are no walls to stop the teenagers from leaving, but escape is impractical due to the surrounding sea. On arriving at the camp, the teenagers are forced to wear cuffs with sensors around their ankles — if they attempt to escape, security will be alerted.Dr. Hail, who runs the camp, forces the teens to work constantly. He has them clean the camp, grow plants, and has them rebuild the camp after it was damaged in a storm. Campers are required to wear color coded t-shirts. First, new arrivals are given black t-shirts. They progress to yellow and then white. The teens earn a white shirt once they have been "corrected". They do not do work; they become staff members and abuse the other inmates and monitor their work. Among the staff is an ex-soldier. He is very tough towards the inmates and makes deals with girls in exchange for sex.
The main teenagers featured are Sophie, her boyfriend Ben, Danny and Trina. As time passes on the island, Sophie rebels against Dr. Hail, and once Ben joins her, the two escape to a nearby island. However, they are recaptured, and Ben is told he will be sent home. One morning, while on a run, Logan, has the male teenagers go swimming. However, Danny, who can't swim, drowns, and Logan tries to get Ben to help cover it up by threatening him with solitary confinement, but Ben refuses.
Meanwhile, Sophie discovers that Logan has raped Trina, and when Logan is put before the camp to admit responsibility for Danny's death, she reveals this to the rest of the teenagers, many of whom also were offered yellow shirts by Logan in exchange for sex. As the teenagers surround Logan, Sophie turns the attention onto Hail, at which point Ben announces to the shocked teenagers that this isn't the first death to occur on a camp run by Dr. Hail.
The teenagers run amok, burning down the entire campsite, and then go after Logan, who dies when his jeep crashes into a burning building. At this point they turn their attention solely to Hail, who tries to shoot them in the hope that he can restore order. However, after finding out his gun wasn't loaded, he is thrown into solitary confinement, to be left for the police to arrest. As the film fades out we see images of the teenagers celebrating freedom swimming in the ocean. A message also appears on screen stating that since the 1970s, when these type of camps were introduced in real life, over 40 deaths have occurred.
Cast
- Mila KunisMila KunisMilena "Mila" Kunis is an American actress. Her work includes the role of Jackie Burkhart on the TV series That '70s Show and the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated series Family Guy...
as Sophie - Gregory Smith as Ben
- Peter StormarePeter Stormareis a Swedish film, stage, voice and television actor as well as a theatrical director, playwright and musician.- Early life :...
as Dr. Norman Hail - Christopher JacotChristopher JacotChristopher Jacot is a Canadian actor.Jacot was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He attended Earl Haig Secondary School in the Claude Watson programme for drama with fellow actors Sarah Polley and Lani Billard...
as Danny - Tygh RunyanTygh Runyan-Life and career:Runyan was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. His father is an environmental science professor at the University of British Columbia, and his mother is a poet...
as Logan - Colleen RennisonColleen RennisonColleen Rennison is a Canadian singer/songwriter and actress of feature films, television movies and television series.- Life and career :...
as Ellen - Regine NehyRegine NehyRegine Nehy is an American film and television actress.Before her acting career took off, she danced at the Rock School for Dance Education. She has appeared in Grey's Anatomy , Weapons , Pride, Super Sweet 16: The Movie, and Boot Camp. Regine also appears as Celia Regine Nehy (born November 14,...
as Trina - Grace BauerGrace BauerGrace Bauer is an American poet. She lives in Nebraska, grew up in Pennsylvania and has also lived in New Orleans, Montana, Virginia and Massachusetts.-Education and Awards:...
as Danny's Mom - Daniel HayesDaniel Hayes (actor)Daniel Hayes is an actor, screenwriter, and commercial model. He is of Trinidadian and Venezuelan heritage.- Biography :...
as Marine
Reception
Choi Jung-in of South Korea's JoongAng Daily wrote, "From the outset, director Christian Duguay makes it clear that Boot Camp is based on true events. ...I loved Duguay’s message that children should never be abusedChild abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
under the pretext of parental love."
External links
- Boot Camp at the New York Times