neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Thirteen
	Catherine Hardwicke Holly Hunter, Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, Jeremy Sisto, Brady Corbet, Deborah Kara Unger, Kip Pardue, Sarah Clarke, D.W. Moffett 2003		An intimate, rueful depiction of the yearning, confusion and angst of pubescence, "Thirteen" is a drama that gets inside the head of Tracy, a bright, attractive 13-year-old girl who hangs with the uncool kids at a Los Angeles-area school. But Tracy desperately wants to be liked by Evie, the most popular girl in her class, and goes to great lengths to win Evie's acceptance. As the girls' friendship intensifies, their behavior becomes increasingly alarming. The documentary-style look of the film, primarily shot with hand-held Super 8 cameras, and the searing performances by Evan Rachel Wood as Tracy, Holly Hunter as Tracy's struggling single mom and Nikki Reed as Evie, give "Thirteen" an utterly convincing veracity. It's almost inconceivable that this is the first feature from director/co-screenwriter Catherine Hardwicke. She does a phenomenal job with the actors, and her script, co-authored by cast member and genuine teenager Reed, is so crammed with truthful moments, so comfortable in its vernacular and so agonizing as it unravels that watching it is a draining experience. Still, "Thirteen" has to be one of the best movies ever made about the travails of growing up. With Jeremy Sisto and Deborah Kara Unger.