The Film Jockey reviews: "Thirteen"

For my first ever review as The Film Jockey, I will be reviewing one of my personal favorites, "Thirteen" released in 2003. You might be wondering, "Why is one of his favorite movies about a couple of teenage girls gone wild?" I respond to this by saying, this film is not just about crazy teenage girls running amuck.

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (most known for directing the film adaptation of "Twilight"), "Thirteen" focuses on a young girl named Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) who lives with her brother and her divorced mother Mel (Holly Hunter). Living in a makeshift home of sorts, Tracy seems to have been brought up with a good head on her shoulders despite her family's paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle. When we are first introduced to Tracy, she's one of the "good girls" of her school. She does well in her classes, wears pigtails, dresses cutely and has a great relationship with her mother. She also seems to be among the minority, as her school consists of a very diverse population. So, right off the bat, we see that Tracy is in a very pressured environment. One day at school, Tracy notices the popular girls, led by Evie Zamora (Nikki Reed). Seemingly desperate to join the popular girls, we follow Tracy on a dark and rapid descent into popularity as she will do anything it takes to be friends with Evie. First comes the stealing and lying, then comes the all out bad behavior. She begins to do drugs, like acid, and drinks irresponsibly. On top of this, her relationship with her mother goes from great to basically non-existent over night. She yells, disrespects and lies to her mother at any given moment. All of this leads to a shocking confrontation between Tracy, Evie, Mel and Evies cousin/guardian Brooke (played by Deborah Unger).

Co-written by Nikki Reed and Catherine Hardwicke, the film is based on real life experiences of Reed herself at the age of 13. Although it is a story that is all too familiar, a girl caught in the midst of peer-pressure and teenage angst, it is driven by the performances of Wood, Hunter and Reed. Wood absolutely outshines her co-stars as she flawlessly portrays Tracy's transformation from good girl to wrist-cutting troubled teen. Hunter also puts on a fantastic performance as we feel nothing but the utmost empathy for her as a recovering alcoholic mother who struggles to put food on the table for her family. Hardwicke is truly at the top of her game with this film, as her handheld/documentary style camera-work makes for fascinating storytelling. The cinematography portrays a gritty realistic vision that intrigues the audience as we witness Tracy's dark descent. Watching Wood and Hunter clash as mother and daughter is nothing short of captivating. However, Reed's performance should not go unnoticed as she also delivers a flawless portrayal of a rebellious and corruptive teenager (although Reed states that the Tracy character is based on herself).

Overall, I recommend everyone to see this film at least once. If not for the story itself, at least for the performances. Wood completely indulges the audience and the scenes between Wood and Hunter are something that should not be missed. This character driven story is an unforgettable one.