Wild and Rebellious Adolescence

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The movie thirteen is a raw psychodrama directed by Catherine Hardwicke is based on the life of a young teenage girl, Tracy Freeland whom catapults from pre adolescence/childhood to a wild and rebellious thirteen year old girl. Filmed in Los Angeles, Tracey and her mother’s relationship are put to the test when she befriends Evie. Evie is a popular girl from junior high school who introduces her to the world of sex, drugs and self-mutilation. We see a physical and psychological change in Tracey almost overnight, as her kinship with Evie transforms into a toxic relationship. Tracey’s early traumatic life experiences, manifests into a co-morbidity of depression and borderline personality disorder that affects her ability to cope with an adult life. : based on theDSM-1V she has symptoms consistent with borderline personality disorder The film portrays a realistic interpretation of the adolescence experience as a wild and rebellious time in modern society. This is shown in Tracey witnessing her mother’s boyfriend overdose on crack cocaine and her use of Methamphetamine after dark, at the park with Evie and older boys. It shows Tracey secretly craves attention and popularity; she achieves that but her life crumbles around her. Family The main family unit in this film is the Freeland family which consists of, Tracey, her mother Melanie (Mel), brother Mason and Bradley, Mel’s boyfriend. Evie becomes part of the family once she moves into the Freeland home. At the start of the film Tracey was an innocent young girl, with family values and was a “Straight A” student but on the inside she is crying out for attention; She is caught up in the conflict between her divorced parents. Tracey’s father, working non-stop and living with h... ... middle of paper ... ...t of control. The role of the family is especially important as we see the significance of Tracey’s early experiences and family environment affected her socialisation and moral development. The absent father figure can also explain Tracey abandonment issues. The peer relationship between Evie and Tracey shows us the danger of idealisation and the problems adolescence face with peer pressures. The media illustrates a certain image of adolescences in modern society and the pressures to conform. The location plays a part in encouraging her wild and rebellious behaviour and it gives Tracey the tools she needs to fuel her behaviour. Her priorities change, as her education suffers from the choices she is makes. Thirteen’s presentation of the adolescence experience shows the danger of early traumatic experiences and the impact it has of the development of adolescences.

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