After a blurred trauma over the summer, Melinda enters high school a selective mute. Struggling with school, friends, and family, she tells the dark tale of her experiences, and why she has chosen not to speak.
A coming-of-age biographical film about the 1970s teenage all-girl rock band The Runaways. This film also explores the relationship between band members Joan Jett and Cherie Currie.
Director:
Floria Sigismondi
Stars:
Kristen Stewart,
Dakota Fanning,
Michael Shannon
L.A. soft-porn writer Carter Webb is frustrated enough, after his actress girlfriend dumps him, to need a serious break. He decides to spend it with his grandmother, who can't really take ... See full summary »
A series of overlapping stories about four suburban families dealing with different maladies. Esther Gold's life is consumed by caring for her comatose son; Jim Train is sent into a ... See full summary »
Director:
Rose Troche
Stars:
Glenn Close,
Dermot Mulroney,
Mary Kay Place
A massage therapist looking to overcome her addictions and reconnect with her son, whose father is an anthropologist in South America studying the Yanomani people, moves in with a wealthy ex-client in New Jersey.
Director:
Griffin Dunne
Stars:
Diane Lane,
Donald Sutherland,
Anton Yelchin
In the summer of 1987, a college graduate takes a 'nowhere' job at his local amusement park, only to find it's the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world.
Director:
Greg Mottola
Stars:
Jesse Eisenberg,
Kristen Stewart,
Ryan Reynolds
Young writer Sal Paradise has his life shaken by the arrival of free-spirited Dean Moriarty and his girl, Marylou. As they travel across the country, they encounter a mix of people who each impact their journey indelibly.
Director:
Walter Salles
Stars:
Sam Riley,
Garrett Hedlund,
Kristen Stewart
When Robin's daughter Lacy wants to buy an expensive guitar, Robin reminisces about the days when she was a teenager, asking her dad for her first car, an Olds Cutlass Supreme.
Director:
Kate Hudson
Stars:
Virginia Madsen,
Dakota Fanning,
Kristen Stewart
The young adolescent Melinda Sordino arrives at high school feeling confused, depressed and alone. Her school peers call her "squealer", because she alerted the police during a summer party after she was sexually assaulted by Andy Evans. She refuses to tell anyone the events that took place. Her depression and distance from people is made worse by the increasingly large gap between her and her parents. She finds great support with her art teacher Mr. Freeman and her school friend David Petrakis. Her feelings threaten to engulf her but Melinda learns to grow from her experiences instead of repressing the past emotions that have scarred her for the rest of her life. Written by
Andrew Rodriguez, Tinton Falls New Jersey
The rape scene was originally supposed to take place in the woods. However, shortly before filming, Kristen Stewart discovered she had an allergy to the grass that caused her to rash, so the scene was moved to a car. When she's walking home from the party, there are leaves on her back because that scene was filmed before she learned of the allergy. See more »
Goofs
"Melinda says the school mascot is changing from the Trojans to the Hornets. However, during the pep rally the cheerleaders are introduced as the "Merryweather Falcons"." This isn't a goof, it's a running theme through the movie as a later announcement changes the team name to the Wombats. See more »
Requiem, Op. 48
Written by Gabriel Fauré
Performed by Lisa Beckley, Nicholas Gedge, Colm Carey and the Schola Cantorum of Oxford conducted by Jeremy Summerty
Courtesy of Naxos by arrangement with Source/Q See more »
I was luck enough to see this film at Sundance. I'd read the book when it came out and loved it, but wasn't sure how it would translate to film, given that the main character really doesn't talk at all in the book. Jessica Sharzer's adaptation handles all of the potential problems beautifully, without changing the fundamental story and using voiceover only sparingly. What really makes the movie, though, is Kristen Stewart's complete embodiment of Melinda. She does things with her face that actors twice her age with twice her experience only wish they could do. Though the film is not at all didactic in nature, it would be a great one for teens to see with their parents. Lots of good material for discussion. It's great to see Laurie Halse Anderson's wonderful book get the screen treatment it deserves. If you like this movie, you might also like BLUE CAR, MANNY & LO, and THE CHOCOLATE WAR.
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I was luck enough to see this film at Sundance. I'd read the book when it came out and loved it, but wasn't sure how it would translate to film, given that the main character really doesn't talk at all in the book. Jessica Sharzer's adaptation handles all of the potential problems beautifully, without changing the fundamental story and using voiceover only sparingly. What really makes the movie, though, is Kristen Stewart's complete embodiment of Melinda. She does things with her face that actors twice her age with twice her experience only wish they could do. Though the film is not at all didactic in nature, it would be a great one for teens to see with their parents. Lots of good material for discussion. It's great to see Laurie Halse Anderson's wonderful book get the screen treatment it deserves. If you like this movie, you might also like BLUE CAR, MANNY & LO, and THE CHOCOLATE WAR.