Kris could barely contain his excitement when he told his mother he had found the perfect school to attend: a boarding school for boys near Niagara, Ontario, named Robert Land Academy. It was 1996, and Kris, whose last name is being withheld to protect his privacy, was fourteen years old, struggling in middle school in British Columbia. He had dreams of joining the Canadian military, and he became convinced that RLA-its structure mirrored that of the military, with students wearing uniforms and everyone being given military-style ranks-would help him prepare to eventually enlist.
The film is a wildly entertaining portrait of the overflowing emotions of teenage girlhood and blossoming sexuality, but also a time capsule of queer tropes that feels equally dated and boundary pushing.