The Bottom Line
Pros
- Emotionally involving and thought-provoking
- Solid acting, good dialogue, interesting visual style
- Captures youth culture while mostly avoiding clichés
Cons
- Sometimes overindulges in sensationalism
- Unsparingly depressing
- Provides no feeling of closure or satisfaction
Description
- DVD containing movie Thirteen (2003)
- Movie is a hard-hitting drama aimed not at teens, but at general audiences
- Film stars Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, and Holly Hunter
- Holly Hunter was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in Thirteen
- DVD side A has movie in full-screen (1.33:1), side B has movie in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1)
- DVD contains feature-length audio commentary by director and 3 young actors
- DVD contains 10 deleted scenes with optional director commentary
- Excellent picture and sound quality
- Feature run time: 1 hour 39 minutes
- DVD release date: January 27, 2004
Guide Review - Thirteen DVD Review
I found myself mesmerized by this little indie drama about a 13-year-old L.A. girl named Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) who goes into a downward spiral when she hits the seventh grade. At middle school Tracy meets a conniving girl named Evie (Nikki Reed), who helps her down the road to petty crime, drugs, and sex, and she seems to get into self-mutilation all by herself. Meanwhile, Tracy's divorced mom (Holly Hunter), a somewhat laissez-faire parent and recovering alcoholic with problems of her own, is overwhelmed by the changes in her daughter.
I was particularly impressed by the expressive faces and naturalistic acting styles of Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed. And Holly Hunter was fine in her role as well. Also, Thirteen seemed to me a visually imaginative film despite its low budget. The restless camerawork and tweaking of color reflected the psychological state of the young protagonist. I've lived in and around L.A. all my life, and the movie had an authentic sense of place to my mind.
As much as I liked Thirteen, it's not a perfect film. It seems to me stronger on sociology than on poetry. In terms of story, the film's strengths are theme and setting, but it's weak in character and plot. The characters are more like archetypes than recognizable individuals, and the narrative feels like a series of vignettes strung together.
