![]() ![]() Yet her dilemma - as a Latina caught up in gang culture who faces a moral decision about testifying in court against one of “her own” - is the on-and-off central thread of the film. Indeed, the film starts off as if she were the central figure before the focus shifts to her teacher, then fragments into a classwide diffusion. The key student is Eva, played by April Lee Hernandez with a bitter scowl darkening her strikingly beautiful face. Strangely but presumably to maintain a PG-13 rating, the film never touches on the teens’ sexual activity. Only in the margins do the students share their lives with viewers - abuse, broken homes, drive-bys, drugs and racism are everyday challenges. Before you know it, her class is one big rainbow coalition/summer camp love-in. She turns a racist classroom drawing into a brilliant teaching aid and instinctively realizes that reading “The Diary of Anne Frank” will hugely impact her students’ outlooks. Remarkably, she quickly turns into a savvy teacher with seemingly years of experience. Brimming with self-confidence over her lesson plans and holding a concept of inner-city youths that can charitably be called naive, Erin is shocked by the blatant disrespect, racism and hostility exhibited by her students. The Swank imprimatur might boost the urban drama’s box office potential into the $25 million-$30 million range, which considering its modest budget would be a success.Īccording to this movie, written and directed by Richard LaGravenese, Erin Gruwell (Swank) comes to Wilson High School after the Rodney King riots, much like Alice the day she fell down that rabbit hole. Never once do you see the iron in the character that enables her to cope and connect with such challenging students. No teacher in America could possibly smile this often. The film does boast inspired moments and fine performances from its young actors, but Swank marches through the story with a curiously inappropriate grin on her face. On the other, there are these students starting to make connections between their lives and the lives of others through introspective writing. On one hand, this is a Hilary Swank vehicle with undue focus on the mundane problems - at least compared to the high drama in her students’ lives - of a neophyte teacher. So the Hollywood development process has produced a movie at war with itself. But it ill serves the original material, a published collection of journal entries by at-risk students written over several years that explain and explore their lives, fears and aspirations. Swank stars in the new film "Freedom Writers." REUTERS/Dave Gatleyīecause the film is based on a real-life high school English class in Long Beach, Calif., whose teacher is played by two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank, this undoubtedly was a foolproof way to get a commercially risky subject developed and greenlighted. “About the Freedom Writers Foundation.” Freedom Writers Foundation, this file photo actress Hilary Swank attends a news conference at the 2006 Comic-Con Convention in San Diego, California July 21, 2006.2021, en./wiki/The_Freedom_Writers_Diary. “The Freedom Writers Diary.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Mar.“Freedom Writers (2007) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers.” YouTube, YouTube, 20 Mar.“Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations, United Nations,.“The Freedom Writers Diary Quotes by Erin Gruwell.” Goodreads, Goodreads,.2017, /behind-the-documentary-freedom-writers-stories-from-an-undeclared-war/. “The Real Freedom Writers.” Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation, 3 Jan.“Rich Archbold: Here's How the Long Beach Freedom Writers Are Doing 20 Years Later.” Press Telegram, Press Telegram, 16 Sept. “Erin Gruwell.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Feb.The would say he was privileged.Later though he tells his story and is accepted He was initially excluded since he was “white”. She is important to the story because she is the one who demonstrates that it doesn't always depend on the student but sometimes it depends on the teacher.īen- He was the only caucasian student in the class. ![]() Passes to the higher class but then because of discrination. In the beginning she doesn't follow the rules but later starts to understand that those aren't rules but bases of friendship.īrandy- She is the smart girl of the class. She is also very important because she is kind of the rebel in the classroom. Sindy- She is the girl who saw the murder and helpedĬonvince Eva of telling who killed the man. He stands up and tells her that she is her hero. He is important to the part of the story when they meet a survivor from WWII. Marcus- He is not particularly smart but is well respected andĪlways keeps an eye on his friends. ![]()
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