Customer Reviews

Thirteen [DVD]

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I saw this film at the London Film Festival where it premiered in England. It was one if not the most emotional film I have seen. The hectic hand-held camera work takes you right into the hectic frenzy of teenage life.
The script and actors draws you into Tracy's life and her relationship with her family and Evie. Rachel Evan Wood, and Holly Hunter were simply outstanding. But it feels unfair just to mention those two. Nikki Reed, Brady Corbet, and Jeremy Sisto were exceptional.
Unlike some independant films. Thirteen does not through contriversal, shocking scenes in just for the sake of it, but to show a true portrayal of how quickly kids are growing up these days. I myself am only 19 years old and still see my friends younger brothers and sisters going through some of the things shown in this film.
Written by a 13 Year Old Nikki Reed with first time director Catherine Hardwicke this film is a remarkable acheivment.

This film pulls no punches, and viewers should be aware that this is a serious and at times disturbing portrait of female adolescence - not family viewing. The movie documents the burgeoning friendship between two teenage tearaways, Evie and Tracy. Two relative newcomers Nikki Reed and Evan Rachel Wood expertly play the central characters. Reed is also shockingly credited as co-writer along with the film's director Catherine Hardwicke. Tracy starts the film as every mothers dream daughter; she has close ties to her family, sweet local friends and is academically successful. However she is not content and so pushes her self into a destructive relationship with the schools hottest and most dangerous girl - Evie. Over a four-month period the girls proceed to push the limits of their defined society, together they experiment with drugs and alcohol, self-abuse, their sexuality, and how far they can push the authority figures in their lives.

There are no easy options or answers within this film. While it does touch on the roots of these girls' problems - the lack of father figures, abuse and neglect, mall culture, the increasing sexualisation of young women and plain teenage rebelliousness - it never seeks to give a direct or simple explanation. It is this subtlety that makes the film so powerful. The girls are portrayed neither as monsters or saints, they are a product of society they live in and yet they are fighting against its limitations. Throughout the film I felt sympathy towards all of the main characters, which is impressive given the nature of their actions, however the stand out performance from Holly Hunter as Tracy's mother really is something else.

This is a film that all parents should watch. It provides a striking insight into the desire for escape that is harboured in all angry, young people, and is a powerful and occasionally worrying glimpse of the effect of the modern world on teenage girls. From the breathtaking acting to the well written and cleverly handled subject matter I recommend this to everyone who has seen one too many American high school movies.

The story of the downward spiral of a 13 year old girl called Tracy, led astray by the 'popular' kid in school, is not shocking but a question poser because of the style that its shot in. The action is fast moving as the girls ascention into adolescance spirals out of control. The use of drugs, alcohol and sexual exploration are well placed and acted out with taste and distintive style, as not to attract the wrong kind of attention to the picture. Nicki Reed's (who plays the bad girl, Evie) story of corruption and exploitation is striking to the eye and the heart. The fact that she co-wrote the script, based on her own experiences, is mind bogling because of her tender age of 15! The eventual destrucive nature of their relationship is brilliant viewing because the acting is 1st class, led by Oscar winner Holly Hunter. A small but major part is assigned to Jeremy Sisto (Billy from Six Feet Under) as a recovering drug addict, for whom Tracy uses as a catalyst for her teenage rebellion!

An accurate portrayel of inner city life in California, "Thirteen" allows the outside world to get a small glimpse at what impressionable teenagers have to deal with in a overly demanding society. The story also deals with betrayel by Tracy and Evie and the path friendship takes when desperation is the motivation.

this film had been recommended to me by a lot of my friends though i have to say i felt quite unsure of what to expect when i first got the dvd. i was assuming it would be a typical hollywood glamorised film about the 'joys' of growing up but what i viewed really gripped me. it was realistic and down to earth and filmed in an intentionally bland colour to set the scene of hopelessness and despair in the mind of the thirteen year old girls. In my opinion it was incredaibly realistic and nail biting and showed the truth instead of sugar coating the topics. brilliant!

Ive just watched this film and there are parts that really get to you. Mosat people remember when they started to change (Usually around 13) like i did. But ive never seen it like this.

As you have read that its about 13 year old tracy who meats the high school girl evie, who shows tracy the real world.
They experience even more and they do drugs, cut thereselves etc. The endings a little disapointing though. Holly Hunter is a class act as Tracy's Mother. And the soundtrack is very funky.

Rent it but dont buy it, its a good one off.

i watched this film not knowing what to expect and i was pleasently suprised. although the story does seem more fitting to a slightly older character, the issues raised are that of what a teenager has to face in our modern society. it is accurate on the pressures of popularity, sex, drugs and self-harm without adding a glossy hollywood feel to it. the main character is easy to identify with making the audience become more involved in the story, although it can be slightly hard to follow at times. this film can be helpful to teenagers going through the same problems, but it can be a trigger for self-harmers. all in all it is an enjoyable realistic story only let down by the unsatisfying ending. but well worth a watch nevertheless.

Thirteen is about {Tracy} a normal,respectful and moral thirteen year old girl who has done really well at school,until She meets {Nikki} an unrespectful,filthy minded,twisted girl and with no morals at all,Tracy is fooled by her charming and so called cool little ways which will change her happy go lucky little life forever,Tracy is lured into crimes such as underage sex with lots of older boys,drugs and stealing handbags. I know this film dont sound like much but trust me it bloody well is an uncomftable,unpleasent experience plus its very very shocking and powerfully acted out exspecailly by {Wood} giving it an unpleasent realistic look into the every day lives of teenage girls led into things they should never be doing.
A BTRILLIANT,GRIPPING,REALISTIC,SADLY DISTURBING,DEEPLY SHOCKING,UNPLEASENT AND HEARTBREAKING FILM THAT WILL KEEP YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT CRYING INTO A TISSUE FROM ITS NASTY STOMACH CHURNING START TO ITS FANTASTIC AND GRIPPING ENDING
TOTALLY BREATHTAKING AND UNDENIEABLE A TRUE MUST SEE FOR EVERYONE

I love this film! I had it on video, which eventually broke.. :( Just as good on DVD.
Brilliant film about the innocent getting into the hormonal teenage downward spiral of sex drugs and crime.
The DVD I got though would crash on two parts of the film and I would have to skip past these to see the rest of the film. Watchable though :)

With her life causing her problems Tracey (Wood) becomes involved with the hottest girl in school and soon becomes involved with drugs, sex and a partying lifestyle.

The pain and awkwardness of teenage life is not a subject to be taken lightly. Kidulthood, Kids and This is England all depict the struggle of growing up and trying to maintain a high level of social status whilst dealing with the hefty pressure of peers, school and love interests. Being the outsider and working your way into `the crowd' has been used as a comic device in recent years, one being Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging or as an outside subject, in other Hardwicke picture Twilight.

Thirteen therefore has a certain standard to justify considering the issues it is keen to promote and preach. So after a startling opening with Wood and Reed hitting each other senseless, we return to a few months beforehand where we see Wood's character in a more innocent light. Tracey is the ideal daughter, obedient, honest and hardworking she is the star in Holly Hunter's mother's eyes. And as the life around her starts to get too hard, Tracey makes a rash action in the form of theft and soon becomes close with Nikki Reed's Evie, the most popular girl, like ever. Yes, it's formulaic before the drama begins. Tracey is a stereotype of loneliness, always yearning for a better life and becoming popular seems like her only option etc. But looking past this we see a real drama and sadness amongst the desperate typical desires and therein lies our story.

The upbringing and hardship of Tracey's family gives her the belief and desperation to have a different life and we are soon involved in the controversy of our current society with the 13 year old taking drugs, stealing and getting herself pierced. Thirteen has a good script with many flaws and lapses but an engaging mentality nonetheless.

All concepts have been covered before but nonetheless the drama doesn't stop as the consequences are deeply shocking and undeniably intriguing. Also the concept of self harm is used, which is easily the more pertinent of all, if not used to full establishment.

The acting is terrific by Holly Hunter, where Reed and Wood do justice to the story.

Before Twilight, Hardwicke was known for this film alone. The handheld effects are good enough to rival Greengrass's in the Bourne series.

Importantly they give a strong sense of realism with extreme close ups and a brave stamina in the face of awkwardness, none more so than the piercing sequences and drug moments.

Where Thirteen may not have the preaching value of Kids or This is England, it maintains a strong desire to preach and will shock and entertain right until the end

7/10

A gripping film about the pressures and troubles encountered by modern-day teenagers. It is not tainted with a happy-go-lucky and glossy view of the subjects but actually gets down to the real issues within.

Talking of many sensitive issues it shows the traps and pitfalls that teenagers have to face and what happens if they make the wrong choices. Very realistic; it is obvious that Nikki Reed helped co-write this as it gets across the teenage perspective well.

A good plot which ultimatley comes to a very fitting and realistic conclusion. It is not a light-hearted film so you have to be in the right mindset to watch it but it is worth viewing.