The Last Stop

From start to finish this film takes you on an honest ride of horrific psychological, verbal and physical abuses that took place for decades in these teen houses of hell, in Maine run by Joe Ricci. I could not sleep the night I saw this film. It was screened in Atlanta at The Drug Policy Alliance Conference. The Director Todd Neilsson himself spent a stint here, but in its final years. Neilsson really captured the true atmosphere as he had access to the location. Elan still stands as it was like some sort of haunted asylum! Excellent film that deserves full distribution and should be shown on TV as well so parents know what these places are really like.

Like Luluew I was in a similar program, at 13-16 I was in a "TC" were yelling ,screaming ,shaved heads for the boys, girls had to wear stocking caps, we were shoveling snow with a spoon I was super rebellious and got 'shot down alot" , i have to say I am so grateful this documentary came out and the light you guys shed on these "therapeutic communities". I never understood why after I was away at the young age of 13-16 when i left for the " real world " I was always so scared of being screamed at and life was very black and white I was either good or bad no in-between., I feel like pain shared is pain lessened and as crazy as that place was, my experience was both bad and good, and I have both horrible and great memories of that facility I was in. Elan was really out there on many levels!

God Bless all the brave amazing strong people seen in the doc. You guys made it through there you can do anything !

As a former resident of 'The Elan School' (1998-2000) I cant say that I didn't go into this Documentary without a certain element of bias. We all remember past events differently; and when they were tragic events, the lines blur even more. Enter 'The Last Stop'- A roller coaster of emotions, from the beginning scene, all the way to the ending. Capturing the fear, degradation, Stockholm syndrome, and psychological torture was no easy task for Todd(director). Each student involved in the story telling; had come from different backgrounds, with a different set of issues. The story was one of criminal enterprise, cult, and a sprinkle of playing God. At certain points throughout the Documentary, you find yourself asking, "maybe they truly thought they were helping kids". The power to tear someone down emotionally, and then "build" them back up, would make anyone think they are righteous. But, as with any business, money makes people do horrific things. What started out as a rehab for drug addicts,quickly turned into a money grab for the owner of the Elan School. There were many events in the Documentary that I wished were acted out. I think budget constraints ultimately hurt the potential impact this documentary could have made. However, Todd did an amazing job with what little budget he had to work with. Todd has put an exorbitant amount of effort into all the details of this documentary. I hope this is just the beginning, for there is more story to tell.

"What's a life worth?"

Roughly 54k plus a year. The élan one corporation charged scared parents, fed up DCF workers, this exorbitant amount per child, per year.

Despite the fact élan received roughly 54K a year, per child, there were weeks without running water, heat, or electricity, children with ill fitting clothing and shoes, etc.

*Please note I am sharing experiences from the 1990 through 1993 era. *

Upon hearing that "The Last Stop" would (finally) be made, I met the news with joy, uncertainty, and hope. Hope that it was for real, this time.

That warm, beautiful, April night (of the premiere) I was filled with a palpable anxiety.

Walking into the movie theatre, seeing almost EVERY seat filled, filled my eyes with tears.

These were my fellow Elan brothers, sisters, friends, and supporters.

We were here for ourselves and for each other. This IS for real, this is going to happen.

TJ & Co. would be facing a Herculean task to tell all of our stories, represent both sides. I did not envy the job ahead..

That said, The documentary was refreshingly unbiased.

I knew it would be hard to walk that line.

TJ & Co. told the story with amazing accuracy and never once did you "feel" his personal feelings.

He allowed each individuals story to shine through on its own.

He did it in such a way that you could watch it and not feel forcibly swayed.

No matter your prior feelings about élan, you were allowed to consider all sides when each person shared their experience.

The blending of past and present was done seamlessly.

The integration of Joe Ricci's life outside of the élan one corporation did not cause any noticeable "hiccups" in the flow of the story.

The background on Mr. Ricci was eye opening.

We had been taught to revere this man like a "God among men".

Joe arriving on the ramshackle compound was met with noticeable glee and giddiness- amongst the staff and older residents that were "in the club".

People have jokingly compared this program to the "Lord of the Flies" , but there was no joke about it. It was sadly true.

No matter if you were a "golden child" or a "corner child" or fell somewhere in between, this program did eat a chunk of your soul.

Many of the "golden children" are no longer with us on this earth. Many of the "corner children" doomed to "die with a needle in their arms" as Mark Rosenberg so eloquently put it, are doing quite well with beautiful, enviable, lives.

I don't believe graduating the program as a "success story" meant a damn thing in the grand scheme of things.

If your success story came on the backs of verbally abusing and emotionally torturing others, then how successful were you really?

But again, that is my opinion and it is (probably) quite biased. (I feel the need to say not everyone falls under the aforementioned statement)

The one thing this documentary has taught me and will hopefully teach others, is that there is more than one way to handle "problem children" and that one size does not fit all when it comes to therapy.

Sadly many states and state workers and parents fed up with incorrigible children, overmedicated children , improperly diagnosed children , etc. allowed the élan one corporation to take the burden off of their hands.

While sticking them in a place like the élan one corporation may have eased their caseload/burden, all it did was further damage a young impressionable growing human.

Many say élan's tactics were a "necessary evil". I saw those tactics rip people to shreds, and destroy their lives- for years and decades.

Many of these people died before seeing that life was, and could be beautiful.

My trip to see the premiere of this documentary in Portland last April, allowed me to truly heal, truly forgive, and truly move on.

I suppose you could say I am FINALLY an élan success story.

PS: I just want to give much love to everybody involved with the creation of this film, with getting it out to the public, the film festivals, etc. for getting the message out there, for supporting all of us, and befriending us. Be kind to yourselves and each other.

Jeff Wimbelton here, not a fan of this "school". Glad someone made a doc about it. Elan is a hard place to explain so any efforts to do so deserve to be commended.

I really couldn't watch this, I could only skim it due to the personal trauma related to the clips and some of the people doing interviews.

I was surprised to see real video footage from House 8, don't ever remember any staff bringing in cameras or video recorders. Makes me wonder if they brought one in hidden as something else, like a pen or flashlight or something.

Seeing that real footage was too much for me of I am being honest. One day I may be able to sit down and stomach it all, but that day has not come yet.