Things I learned watching “Thirteen”
1. I’m never going to have children. Ever.
2. If I was 13 today, I don’t think I could hack it. I really don’t.
3. I’ve finally forgiven Holly Hunter for “The Piano.”
This movie is an Afterschool Special on crack. You jump from one confrontation to the next, without a break; the jumpy digital video camerawork emphasizes the uneasiness. I had a similar reaction to this as I did to “Magdalene Sisters” – it would have been more effective if they would have dialed back everything a few notches. As it was, I felt numb by the halfway point. That’s not good for a movie where there’s really no one to root for.
There’s good performances by Holly Hunter as the bohemian hairdresser mother and Evan Rachel Wood as her daughter. But that’s not enough to counter the unrelenting dread that unspools without much of a purpose.
I saw Thirteen, it was quite an eye opener. It makes me nervous as a parent and wonder how I can keep my child from seeing certain things in the world.