The current work represents the short analysis of the movie “Thirteen” directed by Catherine Hardwicke in 2003. The author of the essay is a student in Film Studies and is interested in old-school cinematography raising the issues of human psychology and tough periods in life. The paper will analyze the movie’s plot and major message. It will also disclose the diction, tone, audience, and purpose of the film. “Thirteen” represents the harsh lives of teenagers under various circumstances that try to find their place and understand who they are.
The movie is based on true events and was written by Catherine Hardwicke and Nikki Reed. Reed was participating by writing the scenario and acting as Evie, one of the major characters. The story narrates about Tracy, a smart and silent student, and Evie, a popular girl at school. In a meantime, girls find mutual troubles such as parents’ addictions, lack of their attention, feeling lonely, and abandoned. The most frequent stories adolescents go through are excellently described in the movie. That is why the diction between the characters is mostly unofficial which is supported by slang words popular at the time it was made. The tone of the movie is sad and frightening as the viewer sees the scenes of teenage crime, early sex, drug usage, and other forms of law-breaking life. The movie’s audience is mostly adolescents of a similar age; however, it can also be useful and interesting to parents of trouble-behaving teenagers to understand this period of human life better. The movie’s purpose is to show the tackles of adolescents from their side and disclose to the viewer the difficulties they can face.
Thus, I consider the movie to be very realistic and meaningful as it shows the spectrum of all the possible troubles a teenager can get involved with. The movie responded to my teenage period when the most popular people at school were the most desired to be friends with. The movie also reflects the ability of adolescents to become close friends if they meet similar troubles in life. I would recommend watching the movie to other people to get perceptions about the teenage world. The movie is not beautifully shot as it is a psychological drama that shows the everyday life of teenagers from disadvantaged families. However, it could still improve the quality of the film if some scenes were well-thought from the aesthetic side.