collected writings

Thirteen

In 1995, when Larry Clark's "Kids" opened, it was hailed as an uncompromising and disturbing vision of just how wrong children could grow and mature, when left to their own devices. Audiences responded with the now-clichéd shock and awe, shifting uncomfortably in their theatre seats, and yet ultimately relaxed to a post-entertainment stupor.

After all, the youths in "Kids" represented a small slice of American life, that of die-hard New York City punks. Their children, safe in the suburbs, would never behave like that.

"Thirteen," takes off, showing just how misjudged most parent's attitudes of their children actually are. Co-written by director Catherine Hardwicke and star Nikki Reed, who was thirteen when she scripted and 14 when she acted her unforgettable performance, "Thirteen" follows the degradation of a normal child to that of a pop-culture oozing wildfire bent on (you guessed it) sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

Seventh-grader Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood), living in a broken home with her frazzled single mother Melanie (wonderfully portrayed by Holly Hunter), is your typical anti-hero, smart, talented, and completely on the edge. With her mother busy trying to keep her checkbook balance above the red, Tracy flounders.

Enter Evie (Reed), the it girl of the seventh grade, dolled up in tight clothes copied from MTV, parentless and a budding sociopath, who makes it clear to Tracy that if her mother does not have time for her, she does. Insecure (and lonely) Tracy gives in. A quick makeover of piercing and midriff-baring, and Tracy is ready for her slide into drug use, oral sex, and petty shoplifting.

"Thirteen" is filmed in a modern, pseudo-documentary style that showcases the transitions of character, the moments of tenderness between Tracy and her mother figures (Melanie and Evie), and the harshness of the situations that Tracy finds herself in.

Catherine Hardwicke, in her first feature after a solid career as a production designer ("Vanilla Sky", "Tombstone", "Three Kings") is a terrific storyteller, refraining from being moralistic in an overwhelmingly moral film. A strong conviction and spontaneity to the characters underwrites the collective performances, and much of this credit should be given to Hardwicke, if it were not reserved for Reed and Wood.

The two young stars of "Thirteen" breath their characters, adding to the general mood of a non-fiction film. Reed, though when writing the part (and in real life) lived the character of Tracy, gives Evie the tragic and somewhat absurd hopelessness than the classical femme fatale had, miniaturized and shrink-wrapped for modern consumption. She deserves an Oscar nomination for her work.

Ultimately, "Thirteen" does not exploit youths, something that "Kids" did, stylistically, in spades. Nor does it glamorize. What emerges is a raw, unforgettable film, a film that deserves its R rating, but one that wise-minded parents should accompany their young to nonetheless; given the pop-media influence of daily-life, many children are already there.