Thirteen

Thirteen is a really incredible movie in the way it sheds light on different experiences a girl can go through. The story follows the life of young Tracy, who is starting out her time in middle school. Unfortunately for her, once she manages to impress her popular classmate Evie Zamora, her whole life goes downhill as she is introduced to a different side of life and is forced to grow up too quickly. The film takes a lot of artistic choices to really get you to understand what the emotion in the scene is, from its hidden metaphors throughout, to the iconic use of color in its cinematography. However, the most impressive part about this movie is how realistic the dialogue is, and how realistic Tracy is as a character. Her actions are brash, but she is a young teenage girl, and many movies don’t usually pick up on the nuances of how that specific demographic can be so impressionable. During that age, especially for girls, all you want to do is fit in and be seen as cool and beautiful. Evie represents, on the surface, exactly what any middle school girl would want to be: she’s beautiful, she wears stylish, edgy clothes, she is admired by the girls at school, she catches the attention of the boys, and overall seems exciting and spontaneous. It is clear from the beginning that Tracy is not entirely in the best mental state, which can partially be attributed to her home life being less than ideal. This leads her to be so desperate to fit in that she will do anything. Unfortunately for her, Evie partakes in many, not just adult behaviors, but also many illegal ones, such as using drugs and stealing. You can tell this even from the dialogue alone. Tracy tends to be more mild-mannered with her speech, but Evie immediately starts referencing adult topics without much care, topics that she should not even be able to understand yet. You get an idea, though, that the rebellion in these girls’ actions comes from growing up in broken homes. They are vulnerable, and are just doing these things to compensate because they think it will make them happier. Naturally though, it just ends to quite the opposite. In this case, the movie wants to show the underbelly of what popularity can mean, and it portrays it in a more realistic fashion. I have met many girls who watched the movie after they were in middle school and said that it reminded them of what they went through. It reminded them of how much they regret dabbling in such things this early, and how they wish they had just remained innocent. In those cases it actually becomes a comfort watch because of how much they are able to relate to the pains of Tracy’s life. Thirteen makes sure to highlight the self-destructive side of this behavior, and it continuously feels like a cautionary tale. That is not to say it is a perfect movie of course. It has a strange theme of always villainizing the black background characters, which in conjunction with Tracy being a white, blond girl, can feel uncomfortable. Additionally, if you are sensitive to darker subjects like depression and self-harm, I would not recommend this movie, because it would only serve as a trigger. I would recommend it to any teenage girl who can handle the themes, even younger ones, because since it is cautionary, it can help serve the purpose of dissuading dangerous behavior. Nonetheless, if it is to be watched by a younger girl, it would be strongly advised to do so with a parent, since the nuances of the message might be lost without, as well as the obvious presence of serious adult themes. It is a definite must-watch if you are a fan of movies with gripping, darker depictions of teenage girlhood, such as The Virgin Suicides. Thirteen is rated R, and is currently viewable on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Vudu. It has been available on Disney+ and Hulu before, so you might also be able to see it there.