Tough Love

Melting Pot Productions

Lily Peck, Decker Lavely, Olivia Thompson
Background
● Troubled Teen Industry
○ Therapeutic boarding schools
○ Military style boot camps
○ Juvenile justice facilities
● https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/when-wilderness-boot-camps-take-tough-love
-too-far/375582/
● Generate ~$50 billion annually - pitching “tough love” to fix problematic behavior
● Children endure emotional, physical, and psychological abuse in these facilities
○ Parents told not to believe kids - kids told no one will listen to them
● Lack of transparency and accountability in these facilities
○ Web of these programs across the country
● 86 deaths as of 2015 in these programs
● Wilderness programs
○ Kidnapped in the middle of the night
○ Hike multiple miles per day on rations
○ Cold, hungry, dirty
○ Run away or take their own lives
Why Now?
● Podcasts (Binchtopia)
● Paris Hilton is an advocate stopping
the troubled teen industry.
● Tik Tok
● Many people don’t know that these
programs exist
● After children leave:
○ Trauma (PTSD)
○ Harm to developing years of
childhood
○ Lack of trust in others
○ Self harm/take their own lives
Logline

Lila, a young girl labeled as a “troubled teen,”

becomes a prisoner within a program that is designed
to help young adults recover from various mental
health and substance abuse issues.
 Main Plot Points
Act 1
● Lila is a rebellious teen and
her parents are out of ideas
to deal with her behaviors.
● One evening, Lila wakes up in
the middle of the night to
find two men standing above
her. The men drag Lila to a
van outside her home as her
parents watch from the
doorway.
● Lila is driven hours away and
arrives at camp “Tough Love,”
a wilderness camp for
troubled teens.
Act 2 Act 3
.
● Teens are punished for their
● At the camp Lila meets Sarah and
attempt to leave and Sarah
Jack, two other teens sent to
dies of heat exhaustion.
“Tough Love” by their parents.
● Lila wants to attempt another
● While the camp claims to be a
escape while Jack is too
form of therapy, the teens begin
afraid. Lila convinces him to
enduring abuse such as harsh labor
try once more.
and starvation from the camp
● After weeks of planning they
leaders. The teens are also
steal a camp leaders car and
encouraged to assault each other.
escape.
● The teens try to plan their escape.
● Months pass and Lila and Jack
● Lila, Jack and Sarah run away
have attempted to return to
while shackled but are returned to
their normal lives. The film
the camp by police
ends with the two seeing a
news headline about the
mysterious deaths of multiple
teens at a wilderness camp.
 Cast/Characters
● Lila Newborn
○ 17 years old Kyla Strouse
○ Rebellious -Not a true counselor
○ Depression -Manipulator
-Emotionally abusive
● Mr. and Mrs. Newborn
○ Want what’s best for child
○ Run out of ideas to help Lila Newborn
○ Swayed into program from the persuasive ads -17 years old
Mr.●and KylaMrs. -Rebellious
-Depressed
Newborn ○ Not a true counselor
-Want what’s best
○ for their
Manipulative Jack Harbor Sarah Vincent
child
○ Emotionally abusive -18 years old -17 years old
-Run out of ideas to help -struggles with substance -struggles with mental
-Swayed into program from abuse health
persuasive ads -emotional support for Lila -dies from heat exhaustion
Tone/Genre
● Drama
● Dark
● Heavy
● Dramatic
● Somber
● Ominous
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