Privacy Policy, Download this Essay in word format (.docx), Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, Juvenile Detention and Corrections Standards, New Juvenile Detention Center, if Given Unlimited, Girlhood Juvenile Delinquents Shanae Megan Waxter Juvenile Essay. The relationship between staff and the young women at Waxter is for the most part warm and friendly. The new documentary "Girlhood" isn't a horror movie, but there isn't another movie this year that chills the blood as quickly as the brief exchange caught on camera between a 15-year-old girl. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center.Documentary chronicling America's justice system. Additionally, she still struggles after growing up, but she ensures that she never becomes an addict (Garbus, 2003). Our managing editor an award-winning journalist has spent the past 7 years refining our roster. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/29/movies/film-review-documentary-illuminates-young-lives-crossroads-redemption.html While Shanae sublimates her anger and hurt and moves on with life, for Megan everything is right on the surface. Even though her parent is giving her support, she was still scared of Shanae. Garbus, L. (Director). Here are 22 essential L.A. spots for every tourist, Column: We cant afford another writers strike. Even though she does not get the chance to further her education, she avoids returning to a life of crime (Garbus, 2003). It isnt just difficult to do justice to Shanae and Megan in an average of 44 minutes apiece; as it turns out, its impossible. After graduating from the Comosun College's journalism program, she went on to work at community newspapers throughout Atlantic Canada, before embarking on her freelancing journey. Shanae had to go to a lower security facility before her mother was convinced that she was rehabilitated. The documentary follows the plight of Megan and Shanae (Garbus, 2003). While Shanae, the victim of a horrendous violent crime herself as a child, has difficulty coming to grips with the murder she's committed, she's clearly an intelligent, charismatic, and, most importantly, motivated girl. You could hear the emotions and felt the anger, the sadness. In this article, I honor the significance of girl culture by accounting for The Craft's appeal to girl audiences. She gave birth to a daughter and moved to North Carolina in an effort to start anew. . The documentary follows the plight of Megan and Shanae (Garbus, 2003). Girlhoodshows day-to-day scenes in the girls' lives at Waxter, allowing you to really familiarize yourself with them. Garbus interest in and empathy for her subjects and, more importantly, the way in which she relays their girlhood, makes for an entertaining and emotional documentary, but perhaps an incomplete one. Co-producer, sound Amy Goodman. Megan, however, never received such support from her mother, or from the rest of her family. Despite the locked doors and garish green paint daubing the hallways, the Waxter center doesnt look all that forbidding. Then, she got up and walked off set. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. Megan was shuffled through 11 different foster homes, running away from all except one. Through abbreviated, seamlessly edited scenes, the girls are observed lurching through the juvenile penal system by awkward fits and starts. This documentary follows these two bright but troubled young girls at the Waxter Juvenile Facility in Baltimore as they struggle their way toward redemption and understanding. Garbus explains that she encountered the contradictions of Shanae and Megans girlhoods early on; she mentions that she was struck by [Shanaes] little girl-ness, her innocence, but this was complicated by what she learned about the violence of her crime. That is to say, Garbus sees crime and girlhood as opposite experiences. Then, she brutally stabbed another girl with a box cutter and ended up in juvenile home for some of the most violent young offenders in the country. She had many problems communicating with her foster parents, and she ran away ten times before she had even been arrested for aggravated assault. All rights reserved. The girls tragic relationships with their mothers, their struggles with sexuality, their experiences with rape and sexual assault, drug use and poverty have shaped their lives in and out of jail. Our company is proud to host more than 80 of North Americas best essay writers. Both Megan and Shanae share similar viewpoints for example, they mention that their role model is . Her mother was largely able to chart Shanae's problem for the duration of the movie, because she cared about her and wanted to see her do better. Documentary chronicling America's justice system. At the beginning of the documentary, Shanae and Megan are 14 and 16, serving time for murder and assault, respectively. The film opens with the title card, In the United States, during the last decade, the number of young girls committing violent crimes has more than doubled. As Oprah questioned Megan about her current situation and plans for the future, the teen grew visibly agitated. How A Violent Teen Who Had Given Up On Life Turned It All Around. Growing up, Megan had shuffled through 11 different foster homes, running away from all but one of them. Copyright 2023 . "I decided to change some of my ways because I didn't want the system raising my child," she says. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: GIRLHOOD MOVIE REVIEW. First, she has goals and aspirations. Decent Essays. She perseveres through challenges in life. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. The pair form a strong friendship and, under the guidance and treatment of a dedicated psychotherapist, endeavor to change their lives and strive for a brighter future. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Feb 26th, 2022 Published. In the second segment, she runs away from foster homes to try to live with her mother. Her cousin has to console her. 794 Words. Both girls are likable, smart young women struggling to overcome traumatic backgrounds. As you watch it, you wish the film would fill in more of each girl's background. There are a number of reasons for why Shanae was able to turn her life around whereas Megan was not. What both girls crave is the stabilizing force of a caring and responsible mother. Running time: 88 minutes. Megan, the other young offender continues to practise delinquent . Cannily positioned in the U.S. as the distaff answer to Richard Linklater's Boyhood, Cline Sciamma's third feature (following Water Lilies and Tomboy) Girlhood doesn't follow its protagonist over the course of 12 years, or even over more than a year or so. Megan Jensen had a difficult childhood. In the end, it seems the title Girlhood is both revealing and a misnomer: this film is about the liminal space of girlhoods colored by destabilizing events in their lives (and the larger systems and circumstances dictated by a society that easily discards the humanity of girls, people of color, queer people, differently abled people and poor people). They focus upon the history of corrections, the history of juvenile corrections, and the history of the standards of juvenile corrections. She stays briefly at another foster home before running away to live with friends and eventually by herself in the treacherous East Baltimore neighborhood where she got into trouble. Eysenck, M. (2015). murdering another girl after the two got into an argument. Miriam has proven to have an incredibly strong voice when it comes to tackling tough, timely and complex stories that often take place in urban settings but resonate far and wide, Fawcett said. Open Document. Megan, a pretty girl with a devilish gleam in her eye, tries to get by on charm, but she doesn't have Shanae's focus. In this field, deadlines are super important. One of the biggest criticisms that Garbus. Shanae has been at Waxter longer than any other inmate and after two years shes itching to get out. She Alba Sotorra is an independent filmmaker and producer based in Barcelona. She portrays this by her apprehensive response that she gives to her parent. Not Hollywood, not L.A., not the country, At 19, he won a local school board seat. Megan, however, never received such support from her mother, or from the rest of her family. The girls the film follows for three years are Shanae and Megan, as the film begins in 1999. She gets her place to live. Girls like Shanae and the films other principal subject, Megan, a disarmingly appealing teenager who, bounced from one foster home to another (11 total), landed in Waxter after slicing open another girl with a box cutter. This presumption is damaging because ultimately Garbus makes uncomplicated subjects of the girls. Shanae and Megan both experienced similar circumstances that yielded different outcomes. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center.Documentary chronicling America's justice system. Original music Theodore Shapiro. Girl Hood was released in 2003 and since then has won many awards. I was just doing anything to kill myself, honestly," she says. One characteristic of resilience that Megan portrays is her perseverance. ET on OWN. The article by Livers & Kehoe (2012) is quite contemporary and that is one of the main themes of the article. The domain that best explains Megans attachment issues is the ambivalent/resistant attachment. It is typically more difficult for adults to change their patterns of behavior than it is for younger people. In the film's most compelling scenes Megan confronts Vernessa, who has been released from prison and who professes her love and determination to be an anchor for her daughter. Even more disturbing is Megan's real acknowledgement of this abandonment. Megan, the more unruly of the two is a little older than Shanae. This film is not rated. In the movie, we were able to watch two female offenders in the juvenile justice system. However, after the collective effort from her mother and rehabilitation officers, she becomes emotionally expressive. AFI DOCS, a documentary fest in the Laura Bari made her full-length debut with Antoine, a documentary about the imaginary life of a blind boy. Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. Your email address will not be published. By age 10, she had been committed to two psychiatric hospitals and diagnosed as manic-depressive. His first civics lesson? She responded by drinking and drugging, and then at age 12, graduated to murder. Eighty percent of cases do not, Juvenile Detention Standards Girlhood[Motion Picture]. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. As she grows up, she realizes that she cannot rely on anyone and starts to take better care or herself. Megan had given up, and even ended up back in jail. In 1997 on a Baltimore street, Shanae got into a fight with 13-year-old Chineye Mills, allegedly over a boy. Gender Roles In The Film Girlhood. The field of Girlhood Studies continues to grow and perhaps offers guidance in understanding where Garbus erred. Not surprisingly, by the end of the documentary she is living alone in Baltimore while Shanae was living with her family and doing well in high school while preparing to attend a junior college. Shanae was raped by five teenagers when she was eleven and then was arrested and convicted for stabbing a friend to death with a knife when she was twelve. Theres no suggestion that the teenager feels any true remorse, only that shes learned how to deploy the same hollow psychological platitudes as her jailers. As a child, her mother was absent. The film follows them from 1999 through the year 2002. In the documentary Girlhood, Liz Garbus follows two young women who have encountered numerous misfortunes in the past that led them to implement their violent offences. Directed by Liz Garbus; director of photography, Tony Hardmon; edited by Mary Manhardt; music by Theodore Shapiro; produced by Ms. Garbus and Rory Kennedy; released by Wellspring. Impact of Trauma http://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-14-et-girlhood14-story.html It was so true and it left me with a nice feeling knowing there are people out there that do love what they do. Megan also leaves Waxter. ABSTRACT The teen horror film The Craft (1996) has remained a cult classic with girl audiences for two decades. Shanae was ten years old when she was gang-raped by five boys. . Megan also shows that she has self-efficacy. "I was really, really, really confused at the time," Megan says. Even though her mother has a problem with drugs and prostitution, she is distressed when she does not receive visits or calls from her. Director Liz Garbus See production, box office & company info Search on Amazon search for Blu-ray and DVD Add to Watchlist Added by 1.8K users New York: Psychology Press. Megan, however, was virtually abandoned by her mother and received little support from the rest of the family. Shanaes development has been disrupted. Girlhood. So she held his hand, Review: Beau Is Afraid is quite an odyssey, but not necessarily an oughta-see. When she grows older, it is clear that she is still affected by the feeling of neglect and she believes nobody is looking out for her interest (Garbus, 2003). ~ (Source: Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide). Today, the Baltimore native is living in North Carolina and acknowledges that she wasn't in a good place during her "Oprah Show" appearance. Second, she is distressed when her mother leaves. Wake up to the day's most important news. The title of the film is overly simple and, to an extent, revealing in its simplicity. NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates talks with documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus about her new film Girlhood, a chronicle of the lives of two troubled adolescent girls involved in the juvenile justice system . Subsequently, she was always looking for that support and without it had less incentive and means to create a change in her life. Strength-Based Approaches Cannes, this is how its done: projects from female filmmakers are set to kick off and conclude both AFI DOCS and Provincetown International Film Festival. At 14, she was hit by a stray bullet during a gunfight. But its staff emerges as a caring if overstressed group of people who do what they can to steer the girls in their charge toward a productive life. Humanizing those who have committed crimes especially children is a good thing to do, and certainly expands the viewers capacity to embrace complicated narratives and emotions. Times guidelines: Adult language, some drug use, strong emotional content. In class we watched the video Girlhood. All the same, Marieme (Karidja Tour) goes through nearly as many shifts in appearance and identity as Boyhood's Mason. From there she enrolls in high school, where she places fourth in her class, and plans to attend a community college. One perspective on the film Girl Hood is that it is a highly informative documentary film in which the director does a spectacular job revealing to the world the issues young women such as Megan and Shanae face on a daily basis. Girl Hood is a documentary film directed and produced by Liz Garbus that follows two teenage girls, Shanae and Megan, over the span of three years, from the time they are in the all-girls juvenile detention center at Thomas J.S Waxter Childrens Center in Laurel, Maryland, to when they are out in the real world. For example, once the girls are out of Waxter, we see Shanae is doing well in school and even goes to her prom. Third, Shanae becomes emotionally expressive. Having been abandoned by her mother, with whom she has a very complicated relationship, Megan is desperate for attention and affection. Then, everything changed when Megan got pregnant. A narrative feature based on the two subjects of Liz Garbus' 2003 documentary "Girlhood," young female inmates Shanae Watkins and Megan Stahl, is in the works. We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. In Garbus version of their lives, these experiences do not bring them down. They emerge triumphant; their girlhood, we end up hoping, will be salvaged. LA Times reviewer Manohla Dargis notes, Garbus obsession with levity ultimately triumphs, leaving us with an unfinished picture: [T]o turn complex and contradictory lives into palatable narratives, is one of the least-examined pitfalls in nonfiction filmmaking.
