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Thirteen (film)
Encyclopedia
Thirteen is a 2003 American drama film
directed by Catherine Hardwicke
, and written by Hardwicke and Nikki Reed
, the film's co-star. The film also stars Evan Rachel Wood
and Holly Hunter
. It is a semi-autobiographical
film inspired by Reed's life at age 12 and 13 with Wood's character "Tracy" being loosely based upon Reed. The script was written in six days and was originally meant to be a comedy
. The film caused controversy upon its release, because it dealt with topics such as underage sexual behavior
along with drug
and alcohol
abuse and self-mutilation.
) writes poetry and is an honor student at Portola Middle School in Los Angeles
. Her divorced mother Melanie (Holly Hunter
) is a recovering alcoholic and high school dropout who struggles as a hairdresser to support her two children, Tracy and older brother Mason (Brady Corbet
). At school Tracy is teased by some girls about her "cabbage patch" clothes. Tracy then endeavours to shed her 'little girl' image and pleads with her mother to purchase a trendier style of clothing. Melanie buys Tracy new clothes from a discount vendor in a parked van.
Tracy is then invited by Evie Zamora (Nikki Reed
), one of the most popular girls at school, to go shopping on Melrose Avenue
in Hollywood. Although Evie gives her a disconnected telephone number as a mean joke, Tracy takes a city bus to Melrose Avenue anyway, where she finds Evie and a friend at an edgy thrift shop. At the store, Tracy sees Evie and her friend continuously shoplifting. Tracy begins to feel uncomfortable, and walks by herself out of the store and sits on a bench outside. Once there, Tracy begins to truly feel the need to be popular. She then steals a distracted woman's pocketbook
to be more like Evie. This impresses Evie and her friend and they all go on a shopping spree. After this incident, Tracy and Evie become best friends and Evie temporarily moves into the Freeland household.
Tracy, amongst other things, is angry about her parents' divorce and, unbeknownst to her mother, cuts herself as a way to cope with the stress. Tracy rapidly transforms into a new person as she neglects her old friends, becomes more impulsive, and cares less about her schoolwork. She taunts Melanie's boyfriend (Jeremy Sisto
), who is also a recovering addict. Although Melanie is somewhat aware of what is happening with Tracy and Evie, she is unable to stop them.
Melanie is also reluctant to ask Evie to leave her household because of Evie's manipulative, yet likely truthful claims of an abusive
childhood. As Tracy steadily shuts Melanie out of her life, Tracy and Evie become very close, even talking to each other in their own ludling language. However, after the early thrills, Tracy's new-found popularity does not make her happy. Although Tracy endeavors to emulate Evie's seductive behavior, this does not bring her pleasure.
When Evie and Tracy try to seduce Luke (Kip Pardue
), an adult lifeguard in his early twenties who is a friend of Mason, Tracy does not feel comfortable. Drawn at first into their kisses, Luke throws them out of his house and soon moves away from the neighborhood.
One night in Hollywood, Mason and a friend make comments about the thong
on a cute girl and is then shocked when the girl turns around and he realizes that it is his sister, with a belly ring. The girls later take turns inhaling from a can of gas duster for computers and become so intoxicated that they laughingly hit each other, drawing blood. Meanwhile Melanie is unaware of how deeply the girls have fallen into petty crime, drug abuse
, and oral sex
with teenage boys. Seeing the harmful impact Evie is having on their lives, Melanie takes Evie back to live with her cousin Brooke (Deborah Kara Unger
). Tracy seems to agree with this, after which Evie becomes upset and suddenly betrays Tracy at school. Melanie also hopes that Tracy will go live with her father, but she is unhappy at this thought. But, much to Tracy's dismay, her father decides he wants to take custody of Mason instead, to give him a more stable environment away from Tracy.
After being informed she may fail seventh grade, Tracy comes home after school to find Evie, Brooke, and Melanie waiting for her. When the women confront Tracy about the girls' drug use and stealing, Tracy angrily blames Evie after she sees how Evie tries to blame it on her. Brooke, convinced by Evie, says Tracy was the bad influence and owing to this, they are moving to Ojai
to get away from her. Melanie stands up for her daughter, saying Tracy was "playing with Barbies" before she met Evie.
Brooke grabs Tracy and pulls her sleeve up to show Melanie the many cuts and long scars on her daughter's left arm caused by her self-mutilation. Horrified, Melanie tells Brooke and Evie to leave. Both mother and daughter weep on the kitchen floor as Melanie kisses her daughter's heavily cut arm. Although Tracy tearfully pleads with Melanie to let go of her, Melanie holds on tight, and the two eventually fall asleep holding each other. The next morning Tracy wakes up with a start.
The film ends with Tracy spinning alone on a park merry-go-round, screaming.
has called Nikki Reed a "surrogate daughter", having known her since she was 5 years old. The two began the screenplay as a comedy project which would be shot to video at minimal cost. The screenplay was written in 6 days and quickly shifted into a tale of early teen angst and self-destruction in Los Angeles, with Tracy's character drawn from Reed's own recent experiences as a pre and early teen. Hardwicke didn't think it would be fitting for Reed to play Tracy and auditioned hundreds of girls for the part.
After becoming aware of Evan Rachel Wood
, Hardwicke came to believe she could make the film only with Wood in the role of Tracy and only that year, with Wood at that age.
Hardwicke has said Holly Hunter
's agreement to play the role of Tracy's mother Melanie was a key boost to bringing the production together. About $2,000,000 was then raised, almost all through independent equity financing, a very low budget for any American film meant for general cinematic release in the early 21st century. Most of the adult actors were widely known and all of them reportedly agreed to low pay because they liked the script along with other members of the cast and crew. Wood and Reed were both 14 during filming (Wood turned 15 during the shoot).
Their first audition together was at Hardwicke's house, which wound up as a slumber party that night. The wardrobe worn by the girls was mostly their own. As filming progressed, they began dressing similarly without being asked to do so. Although the girls are seen smoking, the cigarettes were made mostly with catnip. The crushed pills they are shown snorting from the cover of a children's book were harmless dietary supplements.
During the belly piercing scene, the line in which Tracy asks "What the fuck did you do?" was not scripted but rather, Reed's thumb had slipped and she accidentally stabbed the top of Wood's belly button with the needle, from which she carried a scar. Although Reed's tongue piercing was real, Wood wore a costume version held onto her tongue by a small suction cup which was painful when taken off. Wood later said she swallowed a few during filming.
All of the scenes in which Tracy cuts herself were shot in a single day and Wood recalled running to her brother for emotional support between some takes. Wood later described the shooting of the scene in Luke's house as "awkward". The whole scene was rendered in a single, long and uncut take with Wood, Reed and Pardue, but was tightly choreographed with several crew members, social workers and parents also in the small room, carefully staying either hidden or behind the camera as it panned more than 200°, showing all four walls.
The movie was shot on lower cost super 16mm film. The camera was small, had a Panavision
lens and was mostly hand-held by cinematographer Elliot Davis. This allowed shooting in very tight spots, such as in the bathroom. One tracking scene was shot with the camera mounted on a discarded shopping cart which the crew happened to find nearby.
More or less all of the scenes were filmed on location, with some on Hollywood Boulevard
and at Venice Beach
. The Freeland home scenes were shot at a rented house on Babcock Avenue in the San Fernando Valley
. The many outdoor school scenes were shot at Portola Middle School in Tarzana, most of them on a single Saturday in searing heat. Many of the extras were students and a few were crew members.
Some scenes in the film were carefully and colorfully lit, while others were shot only with whatever daylight could be had. The shooting schedule was limited to less than a month and the underage actors could only work 9½ hours each day, closely watched by a paid social worker.
Taken altogether, this reportedly made for a frenetic production atmosphere which cast and crew later said matched the script and added to the film's fast and emotionally taut pace. The film stock was transferred to the digital domain wherein the colors and saturation were highly manipulated for some segments.
Thirteen was picked up by a major distributor only after production was completed. Because of the film's R rating in North America, the underage stars had to be accompanied by adults to see it at public showings.
, including 89% positive among "Cream of the Crop".
Holly Hunter
was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Both Hunter and Evan Rachel Wood
were nominated for Golden Globes the same year, respectively for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress in a Drama.
. The soundtrack includes songs by Kinnie Starr
and Carmen Rizzo
, Liz Phair
, Folk Implosion, Imperial Teen
, Katy Rose
, The Like
, and MC 900 Ft. Jesus
.
, she had her get into her bed with Nikki Reed
. The bed is also where Robert Pattinson
kissed Kristen Stewart
for the first time for their Twilight
(which Reed costarred in and Hardwicke directed) screen test.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Catherine Hardwicke
Catherine Hardwicke
Catherine Hardwicke is an American production designer, film writer and film director. Her works include the independent film Thirteen, which she co-wrote with Nikki Reed, the film's co-star, the Biblically-themed The Nativity Story, the vampire film Twilight, and the werewolf film Red Riding Hood...
, and written by Hardwicke and Nikki Reed
Nikki Reed
Nicole Houston "Nikki" Reed is an American film and television actress, and screenwriter. She became known in 2003, after the release of the film Thirteen, for which she co-wrote the screenplay. Reed has since appeared in several films, including Lords of Dogtown and Mini's First Time...
, the film's co-star. The film also stars Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
and Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
. It is a semi-autobiographical
Autobiographical novel
An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fiction elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction...
film inspired by Reed's life at age 12 and 13 with Wood's character "Tracy" being loosely based upon Reed. The script was written in six days and was originally meant to be a comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
. The film caused controversy upon its release, because it dealt with topics such as underage sexual behavior
Child sexuality
Child sexuality is the sexual feelings, behaviors, and development of children.-Freud:Until Sigmund Freud published his Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality in 1905, children were often regarded as asexual, having no sexuality until later development. Freud was one of the first researchers to...
along with drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
and alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
abuse and self-mutilation.
Plot
Thirteen-year-old Tracy Louise Freeland (Evan Rachel WoodEvan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
) writes poetry and is an honor student at Portola Middle School in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Her divorced mother Melanie (Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
) is a recovering alcoholic and high school dropout who struggles as a hairdresser to support her two children, Tracy and older brother Mason (Brady Corbet
Brady Corbet
Brady James Monson Corbet is an American actor. Corbet is known for playing Mason Freeland in the film Thirteen, Brian Lackey in the film Mysterious Skin, Alan Tracy in the 2004 film Thunderbirds, and Peter in the 2008 film Funny Games...
). At school Tracy is teased by some girls about her "cabbage patch" clothes. Tracy then endeavours to shed her 'little girl' image and pleads with her mother to purchase a trendier style of clothing. Melanie buys Tracy new clothes from a discount vendor in a parked van.
Tracy is then invited by Evie Zamora (Nikki Reed
Nikki Reed
Nicole Houston "Nikki" Reed is an American film and television actress, and screenwriter. She became known in 2003, after the release of the film Thirteen, for which she co-wrote the screenplay. Reed has since appeared in several films, including Lords of Dogtown and Mini's First Time...
), one of the most popular girls at school, to go shopping on Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue is an internationally renowned shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts from Santa Monica Boulevard at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood and ends at Lucille Avenue in Silver Lake...
in Hollywood. Although Evie gives her a disconnected telephone number as a mean joke, Tracy takes a city bus to Melrose Avenue anyway, where she finds Evie and a friend at an edgy thrift shop. At the store, Tracy sees Evie and her friend continuously shoplifting. Tracy begins to feel uncomfortable, and walks by herself out of the store and sits on a bench outside. Once there, Tracy begins to truly feel the need to be popular. She then steals a distracted woman's pocketbook
Pocketbook
Pocketbook may refer to:* Handbag, a bag for carrying possessions or money, sometimes known in American English as a pocketbook* "Pocketbook" , a 2009 single by Jennifer Hudson* PocketBook , electronic book reader...
to be more like Evie. This impresses Evie and her friend and they all go on a shopping spree. After this incident, Tracy and Evie become best friends and Evie temporarily moves into the Freeland household.
Tracy, amongst other things, is angry about her parents' divorce and, unbeknownst to her mother, cuts herself as a way to cope with the stress. Tracy rapidly transforms into a new person as she neglects her old friends, becomes more impulsive, and cares less about her schoolwork. She taunts Melanie's boyfriend (Jeremy Sisto
Jeremy Sisto
Jeremy Merton Sisto is an American actor. Sisto has had recurring roles as Billy Chenowith on the HBO series Six Feet Under and Detective Cyrus Lupo on Law & Order on television and also starred in the films Jesus, Clueless and Thirteen.-Early life:Sisto was born in Grass Valley, California, the...
), who is also a recovering addict. Although Melanie is somewhat aware of what is happening with Tracy and Evie, she is unable to stop them.
Melanie is also reluctant to ask Evie to leave her household because of Evie's manipulative, yet likely truthful claims of an abusive
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
childhood. As Tracy steadily shuts Melanie out of her life, Tracy and Evie become very close, even talking to each other in their own ludling language. However, after the early thrills, Tracy's new-found popularity does not make her happy. Although Tracy endeavors to emulate Evie's seductive behavior, this does not bring her pleasure.
When Evie and Tracy try to seduce Luke (Kip Pardue
Kip Pardue
Kevin Ian "Kip" Pardue is an American actor and model, best known for his roles in the films Remember the Titans, Driven, The Rules of Attraction, and Thirteen....
), an adult lifeguard in his early twenties who is a friend of Mason, Tracy does not feel comfortable. Drawn at first into their kisses, Luke throws them out of his house and soon moves away from the neighborhood.
One night in Hollywood, Mason and a friend make comments about the thong
Thong (clothing)
The thong is a garment generally worn as either underwear or as a swimsuit in many industrialized societies around the world. It may also be worn for traditional ceremonies or competitions such as sumo wrestling...
on a cute girl and is then shocked when the girl turns around and he realizes that it is his sister, with a belly ring. The girls later take turns inhaling from a can of gas duster for computers and become so intoxicated that they laughingly hit each other, drawing blood. Meanwhile Melanie is unaware of how deeply the girls have fallen into petty crime, drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
, and oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
with teenage boys. Seeing the harmful impact Evie is having on their lives, Melanie takes Evie back to live with her cousin Brooke (Deborah Kara Unger
Deborah Kara Unger
Deborah Kara Unger is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles in the films Crash , The Game , The Hurricane , White Noise , Silent Hill and 88 Minutes...
). Tracy seems to agree with this, after which Evie becomes upset and suddenly betrays Tracy at school. Melanie also hopes that Tracy will go live with her father, but she is unhappy at this thought. But, much to Tracy's dismay, her father decides he wants to take custody of Mason instead, to give him a more stable environment away from Tracy.
After being informed she may fail seventh grade, Tracy comes home after school to find Evie, Brooke, and Melanie waiting for her. When the women confront Tracy about the girls' drug use and stealing, Tracy angrily blames Evie after she sees how Evie tries to blame it on her. Brooke, convinced by Evie, says Tracy was the bad influence and owing to this, they are moving to Ojai
Ojai, California
Ojai is a city in Ventura County, California, USA. It is situated in the Ojai Valley , surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census.-History:Chumash Indians were the early inhabitants of the valley...
to get away from her. Melanie stands up for her daughter, saying Tracy was "playing with Barbies" before she met Evie.
Brooke grabs Tracy and pulls her sleeve up to show Melanie the many cuts and long scars on her daughter's left arm caused by her self-mutilation. Horrified, Melanie tells Brooke and Evie to leave. Both mother and daughter weep on the kitchen floor as Melanie kisses her daughter's heavily cut arm. Although Tracy tearfully pleads with Melanie to let go of her, Melanie holds on tight, and the two eventually fall asleep holding each other. The next morning Tracy wakes up with a start.
The film ends with Tracy spinning alone on a park merry-go-round, screaming.
Cast
- Evan Rachel WoodEvan Rachel WoodEvan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
as Tracy Louise Freeland - Holly HunterHolly HunterHolly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
as Melanie Freeland - Nikki ReedNikki ReedNicole Houston "Nikki" Reed is an American film and television actress, and screenwriter. She became known in 2003, after the release of the film Thirteen, for which she co-wrote the screenplay. Reed has since appeared in several films, including Lords of Dogtown and Mini's First Time...
as Evie Zamora - Jeremy SistoJeremy SistoJeremy Merton Sisto is an American actor. Sisto has had recurring roles as Billy Chenowith on the HBO series Six Feet Under and Detective Cyrus Lupo on Law & Order on television and also starred in the films Jesus, Clueless and Thirteen.-Early life:Sisto was born in Grass Valley, California, the...
as Brady - Brady CorbetBrady CorbetBrady James Monson Corbet is an American actor. Corbet is known for playing Mason Freeland in the film Thirteen, Brian Lackey in the film Mysterious Skin, Alan Tracy in the 2004 film Thunderbirds, and Peter in the 2008 film Funny Games...
as Mason Freeland - D.W. MoffettD.W. MoffettDonald Warren Moffett is an American actor known for the recurring role of Joe McCoy on the NBC series Friday Night Lights since 2008, and as Dean Winston on The WB series, For Your Love.-Early life:...
as Travis Freeland - Vanessa Hudgens as Noel
- Deborah Kara UngerDeborah Kara UngerDeborah Kara Unger is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles in the films Crash , The Game , The Hurricane , White Noise , Silent Hill and 88 Minutes...
as Brook LaLaine - Kip PardueKip PardueKevin Ian "Kip" Pardue is an American actor and model, best known for his roles in the films Remember the Titans, Driven, The Rules of Attraction, and Thirteen....
as Luke - Ulysses Estrada as Rafa
- Sarah Blakely-Cartwright as Medina
- Sarah ClarkeSarah ClarkeSarah Clarke is an American actress, best known for her role as Nina Myers on 24, and also for her roles as Renée Dwyer, Bella Swan's mother, in the 2008 film Twilight as well as Erin McGuire on the short-lived TV show, Trust Me.-Early life:Clarke was born in St...
as Birdie - Jasmine Di Angelo as Kayla
- Tessa LudwickTessa LudwickTessa Ludwick is a Korean American actress from Apollo Beach, Florida. She began acting at age five, when she held a lead role in Allegra's Window, a Nick Jr. children's television program show taped at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida...
as Yumi - Cynthia EttingerCynthia EttingerCynthia Ettinger is an American actress. From 1990 to 1993, she was married to American singer and television performer Wally Kurth. Ettinger was originally cast as Martha Kent for Smallville, but during filming everyone realized that she was not right for the role, including Ettinger...
as Cynthia - Charles Duckworth as Javis
Production
Director Catherine HardwickeCatherine Hardwicke
Catherine Hardwicke is an American production designer, film writer and film director. Her works include the independent film Thirteen, which she co-wrote with Nikki Reed, the film's co-star, the Biblically-themed The Nativity Story, the vampire film Twilight, and the werewolf film Red Riding Hood...
has called Nikki Reed a "surrogate daughter", having known her since she was 5 years old. The two began the screenplay as a comedy project which would be shot to video at minimal cost. The screenplay was written in 6 days and quickly shifted into a tale of early teen angst and self-destruction in Los Angeles, with Tracy's character drawn from Reed's own recent experiences as a pre and early teen. Hardwicke didn't think it would be fitting for Reed to play Tracy and auditioned hundreds of girls for the part.
After becoming aware of Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
, Hardwicke came to believe she could make the film only with Wood in the role of Tracy and only that year, with Wood at that age.
Hardwicke has said Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
's agreement to play the role of Tracy's mother Melanie was a key boost to bringing the production together. About $2,000,000 was then raised, almost all through independent equity financing, a very low budget for any American film meant for general cinematic release in the early 21st century. Most of the adult actors were widely known and all of them reportedly agreed to low pay because they liked the script along with other members of the cast and crew. Wood and Reed were both 14 during filming (Wood turned 15 during the shoot).
Their first audition together was at Hardwicke's house, which wound up as a slumber party that night. The wardrobe worn by the girls was mostly their own. As filming progressed, they began dressing similarly without being asked to do so. Although the girls are seen smoking, the cigarettes were made mostly with catnip. The crushed pills they are shown snorting from the cover of a children's book were harmless dietary supplements.
During the belly piercing scene, the line in which Tracy asks "What the fuck did you do?" was not scripted but rather, Reed's thumb had slipped and she accidentally stabbed the top of Wood's belly button with the needle, from which she carried a scar. Although Reed's tongue piercing was real, Wood wore a costume version held onto her tongue by a small suction cup which was painful when taken off. Wood later said she swallowed a few during filming.
All of the scenes in which Tracy cuts herself were shot in a single day and Wood recalled running to her brother for emotional support between some takes. Wood later described the shooting of the scene in Luke's house as "awkward". The whole scene was rendered in a single, long and uncut take with Wood, Reed and Pardue, but was tightly choreographed with several crew members, social workers and parents also in the small room, carefully staying either hidden or behind the camera as it panned more than 200°, showing all four walls.
The movie was shot on lower cost super 16mm film. The camera was small, had a Panavision
Panavision
Panavision is an American motion picture equipment company specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses during the widescreen boom in the 1950s, Panavision expanded its product...
lens and was mostly hand-held by cinematographer Elliot Davis. This allowed shooting in very tight spots, such as in the bathroom. One tracking scene was shot with the camera mounted on a discarded shopping cart which the crew happened to find nearby.
More or less all of the scenes were filmed on location, with some on Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
and at Venice Beach
Venice, Los Angeles, California
Venice is a beachfront district on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is known for its canals, beaches and circus-like Ocean Front Walk, a two-and-a-half mile pedestrian-only promenade that features performers, fortune-tellers, artists, and vendors...
. The Freeland home scenes were shot at a rented house on Babcock Avenue in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
. The many outdoor school scenes were shot at Portola Middle School in Tarzana, most of them on a single Saturday in searing heat. Many of the extras were students and a few were crew members.
Some scenes in the film were carefully and colorfully lit, while others were shot only with whatever daylight could be had. The shooting schedule was limited to less than a month and the underage actors could only work 9½ hours each day, closely watched by a paid social worker.
Taken altogether, this reportedly made for a frenetic production atmosphere which cast and crew later said matched the script and added to the film's fast and emotionally taut pace. The film stock was transferred to the digital domain wherein the colors and saturation were highly manipulated for some segments.
Thirteen was picked up by a major distributor only after production was completed. Because of the film's R rating in North America, the underage stars had to be accompanied by adults to see it at public showings.
Critical reception
Thirteen received positive reviews. The film is currently rated as 82% "Certified Fresh" on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, including 89% positive among "Cream of the Crop".
Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Both Hunter and Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
were nominated for Golden Globes the same year, respectively for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress in a Drama.
Soundtrack
The score was written by Mark MothersbaughMark Mothersbaugh
Mark Allen Mothersbaugh is an American musician, composer, singer and painter. He is the co-founder of the new wave band Devo and has been its lead singer since 1972. His other musical projects include work for television series, films, and video games....
. The soundtrack includes songs by Kinnie Starr
Kinnie Starr
Alida Kinnie Starr Pierre is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Calgary, Alberta. Her music, which blends hip hop and alternative rock, has been described as "hip hop aggro groove". Her songs have been included on the soundtracks for the TV series The L Word and the movie Thirteen...
and Carmen Rizzo
Carmen Rizzo
Carmen Rizzo is a producer and music engineer who has worked with Alanis Morissette, Oakenfold, Kate Havnevik, Huun-Huur-Tu, Temposhark, Jem, Niyaz and Esthero. In addition, he has recorded his own albums entitled The Lost Art of the Idle Moment , Ornament of an Imposter , and Looking Through...
, Liz Phair
Liz Phair
Phair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw and Phair moved to San Francisco together, and Phair tried to become an artist there...
, Folk Implosion, Imperial Teen
Imperial Teen
Imperial Teen is a San Francisco-based indie pop group made up of Roddy Bottum primarily on guitar/vocals, Will Schwartz primarily on guitar/vocals, Lynn Truell primarily on drums and backing vocals, and Jone Stebbins primarily on bass and backing...
, Katy Rose
Katy Rose
Katy Rose is an American singer, songwriter, producer, musician and actress. Her music styles vary from indie rock, electro pop, grunge, pop, lounge music and techno....
, The Like
The Like
The Like is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California. The current members are Elizabeth "Z" Berg , Tennessee Thomas , Laena Geronimo , and Annie Monroe...
, and MC 900 Ft. Jesus
MC 900 Ft. Jesus
MC 900 Ft. Jesus is the stage name of Mark Griffin, a classically trained musician turned rapper and experimental musician born in Dallas, Texas....
.
Trivia
Auditions took place on a bed in Catherine Hardwicke's house. When Hardwicke auditioned Evan Rachel WoodEvan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
, she had her get into her bed with Nikki Reed
Nikki Reed
Nicole Houston "Nikki" Reed is an American film and television actress, and screenwriter. She became known in 2003, after the release of the film Thirteen, for which she co-wrote the screenplay. Reed has since appeared in several films, including Lords of Dogtown and Mini's First Time...
. The bed is also where Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. Born and raised in London, Pattinson started out his career by playing the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...
kissed Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films including Panic Room , Zathura , In the Land of Women , The Messengers , Adventureland and The Runaways .- Early life :Stewart was born and raised in Los...
for the first time for their Twilight
Twilight (2008 film)
Twilight is a 2008 American romantic vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's popular novel of the same name. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the film stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. It is the first film in The Twilight Saga film series...
(which Reed costarred in and Hardwicke directed) screen test.