For well over a year I waited with great anticipation for the debut of "The Last Stop" in Portland ME. Never in my life did I think that anyone would be interested in hearing my story. Thanks to this documentary the truth is now out about Elan! I wanted our story to be told and didn't care if people would come see it or not.

The film did not disappoint me either. I found it to be a truthful and accurate account of what went on their and it fascinated me more than anything has in a long time. I have seen the film 2 other times since (3 in total) and drove 600 miles round trip to see it each time.

Soon it will be released and that will give me the opportunity to share the experience of watching it with my wife and my daughter. They want to know more about my past which has always been somewhat of a mystery because it is hard for me to explain and for them to understand.

Anyone who has even a remote interest in this subject will not want to miss the opportunity to see this documentary. There is not and has never been anything like it.

Peter Arnold, Yarmouth, Massachusetts

This documentary exposing the abuses of a disciplinary school was quite interesting... to a point, that is. After a while the stories were quite repetitive (many past students sharing similar stories). So I felt it would have been better served as a 1 hour TV episode (like a 20-20 or Dateline) vs. A full-length feature.

It was interesting psychologically in that it showed how a few in power can gain control over others and even turn them against each other. Also interesting is that some walked away with generally positive feelings and others were deeply traumatized.

I felt this film was extremely biased and lacked the most basic pro/con argument. Like most victimization stories, it's designed to enrage but has zero actual information.

I'll preface my comments by saying I was a teen in the 70s who was raised in an untenable environment. Having to constantly be on the defense and often fend for myself, I learned none of the tools normal people are provided to navigate their own emotions. Not until I was removed from that environment; after which it took years to draw a line between the present and the past. That is the case with many kids who become behavioral problems - they come from an abusive environment.

Almost as soon as I could read, I started studying psychology and childhood issues. I've also read about behavioral techniques, many of which are still used successfully by military schools and training facilities.

Out of the small handful of prior participants in this film, there were hundreds of kids who turned their lives around from being confronted with mastering their emotions and learning simple discipline. The fact these self-confessed victims are complaining about having to do chores is ridiculous. Whatever abuse many of these victims endured happened prior to Elan. Those who came out ahead mastered the program and found their way into a life where self-loathing and other-loathing served no purpose; where looking forward, not back, was how to become successful and find reward and purpose.

All this film tells us is that those who are stuck in their victimization will attract those who are susceptible to praising their own victimhood.

That's not to say there are no true horror stories. However, Elan is the least of them even according to this film.

These Elan participants clearly do not represent a majority. It's an alarming comment on the impact of social media when a facility that has helped countless families becomes the hunted because of the ranting of those who remain trapped by their own inability to move on.

I don't believe for a minute that the only goal of such a facility is financial reward. There are very real expenses associated with how these facilities operate and who they hire. There are prisons in existence that are actually for-profit and are much worse than what we see here. Those are what we should be worried about for our young people who don't find some way - through places like Elan - to stop going through the judicial system and ending up in for-profit facilities where they might never get out.