THIRTEEN
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke.
Produced by: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte & Michael London.
Written by: Hardwicke & Nikki Reed.
Director of Photography: Elliot Davis.
Edited by: Nancy Richardson.
Music by: Mark Mothersbaugh.
Released by: Fox Searchlight.
Country of Origin: USA. 95 min. Rated: R.
With: Holly Hunter, Evan Rachel Wood & Nikki Reed.
DVD Special Features: Commentary with Catherine Hardwicke, Nikki Reed, Evan Rachel Wood & Brady Corbet. Seleted Scenes with Optional Commentary. Outtakes. A Making-of Featurette. Two Easter eggs. Wide-screen. Full-screen. English, French, Spanish Audio. English/Spanish Subtitles. Trailer.

Thirteen follows the four-month transformation of Tracy (Wood), 13, from a shy, studious girl still playing with stuffed animals and Barbie dolls to an insolent and angry party girl who has grown up too fast, too soon. Determined to have the respect of the in-crowd, she wins over “the hottest chick in school” Evie (Reed), by wearing the right clothes and further impressing her by stealing a loaded wallet. Tracy and Evie then bond during a shopping spree. Makeover complete, Tracy revels in her newfound sexual power, avoids her former friends, and, encouraged by Evie, drinks, does drugs, gets pierced and fools around with boys. It's only a matter of time until the crash comes. What is puzzling is that her youthful mother (Hunter), who attends Alcoholics Anonymous and whose boyfriend is an ex-addict, could be so completely in the dark about Tracy’s behavior. Comparisons are inevitable to Blue Car, which also features a poetic, lonely girl of a single mother longing for an absent father. While the actions of Blue Car’s heroine are ambiguous and nuanced, Tracy’s course follows a predictable downward trajectory. Though both Wood and Reed have charisma and are more than at home in front of the camera, Thirteen’s style overwhelms the subject matter: the in-your-face hand-held camera work, which pans and roams, vacillating like the moods of the petulant girls; the washed-out cinematography; and the blasting soundtrack. Because of this, Thirteen, like many teenage fads, will soon seem dated. KT
August 20, 2003

DVD Extras: Nikki Reed, Evan Rachel Wood and Catherine Hardwicke dominated the insightful commentary, and it is interesting to hear the young actresses’ perceptions and explanations juxtaposed with those of the first-time director. The commentary is energetic and fun, somewhat odd to hear over the film itself. Discrete symbolism is pointed out and production notes are added, such as the fact that the film was shot almost entirely with a hand-held camera. The deleted scenes are perhaps the most intriguing of the special features. Each scene must have been hard to edit, as they are all beautifully acted and do fill some gaps in character development.Lisette Johnson
February 22, 2004