The Last Stop

The Élan School stood deep in the woods of Maine. It was a residential institution run for profit. It presented itself as a behaviour modification programme. Teenagers who had not fitted other programmes were sent there. Families saw it as a last resort. The method inside rested on harsh discipline. The young people were under constant surveillance. Degradation was part of the daily routine. What is described amounts to outright abuse. The documentary speaks with people who were held there. Years have passed, and the mark of what happened is still on them. Their views differ from one another. Some say the place harmed them. Others think it did them good. The film does not try to erase that split. Liz Arnold and Peter Arnold appear in the one hundred eleven minute documentary. It is an American production Todd Nilssen finished in 2017.