Thirteen

Released: March 11 2004
Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Holly Hunter, Nikki Reed, Brady Corbet, Jeremy Sisto, Kip Pardue
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Screenplay: Catherine Hardwicke and Nikki Reed
Genre: Drama
Rated: MA15+
Running Time: 111 Minutes


*** Nominated for Academy Award 2004 ***
Best Supporting Actress - Holly Hunter

*** Nominated for Golden Globe 2004 ***
Best Supporting Actress - Holly Hunter
Best Actress - Evan Rachel Wood

It's Happening So Fast

Synopsis:
Powerful and compelling, 'Thirteen' is based on a true story... of a teenager who falls under the intoxicating influence of the most popular girl in school. Soon becoming entangled in a fast-paced world of sex, drugs and self-destruction - her mother struggles desperately to reach out to her daughter before it is too late.


My Verdict:
Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) is an average valley girl in Los Angeles. Her mother, Melanie (Holly Hunter), is a single mother, supporting her family with her at-home hairdressing business. She attends the local high school where she is a straight A student. Boring. Or so Tracy thinks when she sees the popular Evie (Nikki Reed) at school. This gets Tracy thinking about being like Evie and her friends. She befriends them by showing them she has stolen a purse, which they then use to go on a wild spending spree. She's in. And so begins her whirlwind descent into a life of abandon and rebellion.

This movie is scary if you are the parent of a daughter who is roughly the same age or approaching it. Scary because it shows how easily some people can be influenced by their peers. Scary because it happens so fast, but perhaps too fast in this case. The story was written in 6 days by Nikki Reed and Catherine Hardwicke and is based on Nikki's times as a thirteen year old. Evie is reckless and selfish, always looking to feather her own nest by whatever means. She lies, steals and uses anything to get what she wants. It's every parent's nightmare, which makes you wonder if Tracy's mother didn't see it coming sooner, this being possibly a flaw in the movie. But then again, denial is so easy.

Thirteen is frenetic in pace, raw and gritty, emphasised by the use of hand-held cameras. Sometimes this can become annoying because it is too fast but then that is what it is trying to convey - the immediacy of the teenagers lives and how they can snowball out of control. Does it apply in Australia? It is certainly worth seeing for Holly Hunters role as the mother and Evan and Nikki's work as the two girls and it may make you check in on your children's lives just to make sure they are on track.

Rating : B-


- Christina Bruce