Thirteen (2003)
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A middle school student's life spirals out of control after she befriends the school's most popular girl.
The story
Tracy Freeland is a smart, mild-mannered honors student at a middle school in Los Angeles whose mother, Melanie, is a recovering alcoholic. Tracy's life takes a drastic turn when she meets Evie Zamora, the school's most stylish and popular girl. After being teased by Evie's clique, Tracy decides to shed her 'little girl' image and begins to follow Evie into a world of sex, drugs, and crime. As the two girls become closer, Tracy's behavior and priorities shift, leading her to neglect her schoolwork and distance herself from her old friends, while her mother struggles to notice the extent of the influence Evie has on her daughter's life.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Tracy Freeland, a smart middle schooler in Los Angeles, finds herself drawn into a dangerous lifestyle after befriending the popular Evie Zamora. The two girls engage in shoplifting, substance abuse, and sexual experimentation. Evie eventually moves into Tracy's home, where she is discovered to be self-harming. Despite Melanie's concerns, she allows Evie to stay. The girls' behavior escalates, including a dangerous high on the streets of Hollywood. After a falling out and a period of isolation, Tracy realizes the negative impact of her choices. Following a confrontation between the girls' guardians, Evie is moved away. The film concludes with a tense confrontation between Tracy and her mother, ending with a haunting image of Tracy alone on a merry-go-round.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 100
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Catherine Hardwicke
- Writers
- Catherine Hardwicke · writer; Nikki Reed · writer
- Cast and characters
- Holly Hunter · Melanie Freeland; Evan Rachel Wood · Tracy Freeland; Nikki Reed · Evie Zamora; Jeremy Sisto · Brady; Brady Corbet · Mason Freeland; Deborah Kara Unger · Brooke LaLaine; Sarah Clarke · Birdie; Vanessa Anne Hudgens · Noel
- Genres
- psychological; coming-of-age; teen drama
- Themes
- adolescence; substance abuse; mother-daughter relationships; peer pressure; self-harm
- Tone and mood
- disturbing; raw
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; teen drama; based on actual events
- Source material / true-story basis
- Loosely based on Nikki Reed's life at ages 13 to 14
- Content notes
- drug use; sexual behavior; self-harm
- Reception
- The film received numerous favorable reviews from critics but generated controversy for its depiction of youth drug use, underage sexual behavior, and self-harm.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 70 · scale: 100 · review count: 37
- Awards and nominations
- Sundance Directing (Drama) · Directing · Win; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actress · Nomination; Golden Globe · Best Supporting Actress · Nomination; Golden Globe · Best Actress in a Drama · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The screenplay was written over six days by Hardwicke and the then-14-year-old Reed.; The film was shot on lower-cost super 16mm film over a period of 24 days.; The girls did not take any dangerous substances during the film; for example, they used catnip for cigarettes and vitamins as pills.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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