Thirteen: Conduct Disorder and American Drama Film
“Thirteen” is a 2003 American drama film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, while the story itself is an autobiographical based upon Nikki Reed’s life at age twelve and thirteen. The set took place in the city of Los Angeles. It begins, as teen stories often do, with drugs, alcohol, underage sex behavior, and self-mutilation. The two main characters: Tracy Freeland and Evie Zamora get involved with dangerous and inappropriate behavior in order to consciousness of their physical and emotional misfortune, also to be known “popular” at their school.
Although these four pre-teens all come with their own physical and emotional misfortune, they stick together through out this journey in which flashbacks and personalities reveal the lives and struggles of the four boys. This paper will analyze each one of these main characters and discuss how communication, and self-concept, affects their individuality, and their interactions.
Tracy Freeland is played by Evan Rachel Wood. Tracy’s character can best be described as neurotic. She comes from an uneducated and alcoholic family, but she is completely different from the perceptions and disgrace attached to her family. Tracy Freeland is a very bright thirteen year old, yet full of insecurity on the inside and gullible. I base this off of two scenes in the movie. First example is when we watch Tracy cutting herself and smoking throughout the film in order to alleviate the emotional pain she suffers from having a broken home and hating her mom's boyfriend, Brady. Another example is when Tracy decides to go the wrong path, in order to fit in with the popular crowd. To do so, Tracy befriends Evie, the most popular and beautiful girl in school, who eventually leads Tracy down a path of sex, drugs, piercing, and petty crimes, such as stealing money from purses and stores. As Tracy transforms herself and her identity, her new world becomes more complex and builds up new tensions between her and her mother, as well as her teachers
Although these four pre-teens all come with their own physical and emotional misfortune, they stick together through out this journey in which flashbacks and personalities reveal the lives and struggles of the four boys. This paper will analyze each one of these main characters and discuss how communication, and self-concept, affects their individuality, and their interactions.
Tracy Freeland is played by Evan Rachel Wood. Tracy’s character can best be described as neurotic. She comes from an uneducated and alcoholic family, but she is completely different from the perceptions and disgrace attached to her family. Tracy Freeland is a very bright thirteen year old, yet full of insecurity on the inside and gullible. I base this off of two scenes in the movie. First example is when we watch Tracy cutting herself and smoking throughout the film in order to alleviate the emotional pain she suffers from having a broken home and hating her mom's boyfriend, Brady. Another example is when Tracy decides to go the wrong path, in order to fit in with the popular crowd. To do so, Tracy befriends Evie, the most popular and beautiful girl in school, who eventually leads Tracy down a path of sex, drugs, piercing, and petty crimes, such as stealing money from purses and stores. As Tracy transforms herself and her identity, her new world becomes more complex and builds up new tensions between her and her mother, as well as her teachers