Thirteen is a Shocking Must-See

Teenage angst is nothing to laugh at or screw around with. That appeared to be the moral of the movie Thirteen, directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Tracy, played by Evan Rachel Wood, begins her adolescence as a straight-A student who loves her divorced mother, played by Holly Hunter. While Hunter's character doesn't have a lot of money, she works hard to provide for her family, while maintaining her sobriety (she is a recovering alcoholic). Tracy, however, is frustrated by her mother's life, their fractured family and her mother's new boyfriend, played by Jeremy Sisto, who is also a recovering drug addict. In order to deal with her feelings, Tracy rebels by pursuing a friendship with Evie, played by Nikki Reed (who also co-wrote this movie). Tracy romanticizes Evie's lifestyle - the seemingly endless freedom that she has and the access that she has to drugs, boys, sex, alcohol, money and clothing. In order to rebel, Tracy pursues a friendship with Evie and, as a result, begins the quickest, steepest downward spiral that I have ever seen in a movie or in real life.

The movie was so awesomely powerful, shocking and, in some places, unexpected. It was like the jolt that you receive when you jump into an icy cold lake or swimming pool in places. Tracy, at various times during the movie, begins cutting herself in order to deal with her emotional and mental pain. By the end of the movie, her arms are covered with deep, red cuts all in various stages of newness. This film was so terrifying and sobering because it was so based in reality. At any time and at any place, a scene in this movie could be happening. What I also appreciated about this movie is that Hardwicke did not neatly wrap everything up at the end and present the finished product to us in a neatly wrapped gift packaging, like so many Hollywood movies are wont to do. Instead, she seems to acknowledge that raising a teen who is on a downward spiral such as this is difficult and there aren't any solutions that can be gift-wrapped and presented to American parents. Hardwicke also seemed to acknowledge that there could be many different solutions and that the success depends on the players involved.

I really enjoyed the performances in this movie, as well. Holly Hunter is, as always, phenomenal and believable as Tracy's mother. While watching her, you couldn't help but feel her panic, frustration and fear as she watches her daughter slowly killing herself and ruining her future, as all she could do is helplessly watch. Evan Rachel Wood's performance was also astounding; her character, Tracy, undergoes the most changes out of all of the characters that we encounter in Thirteen. It was as if she became the character. Perhaps most impressive was Nikki Reed, who played Evie. She was able to masterfully portray the character that she, herself, helped to create and write about. The movie that she co-wrote was astounding.

This is definitely a must rent for everyone, regardless of whether you have children or not.