Cruel Instruction

The story of 16-year-old Kayla Adams, whose mother, Karen is advised by the school’s counselor to send Kayla to get treatment at a youth residential treatment center after she gets expelled from school. Kayla arrives at the Utah facility on the same day as her roommate Amanda, a treatment program veteran who knows exactly what the girls were in for. Led by headmistress Miss Connie, the staff uses draconian methods including force-feeding medications, arbitrary punishments, solitary confinement, verbal and physical abuse to keep the students in line. After being pushed to their limits and stripped of their lifelines, including any ability to freely communicate with the outside world, the two young women must band together to survive and fight to expose the abuse before it’s too late.

Directed by Stanley M. Brooks, Cruel Instruction leans on a strong ensemble — Kelcey Mawema, Morgan Taylor Campbell, Camryn Manheim — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about tv movie titles of 2022.