Suburban Teacher Gives Hope To Interracial Students

Freedom Writers
Directed by Richard LaGravenese
Freedom Writers, starring Hilary Swank, was released on January fifth, 2007. Although Swank is the main Actress, its the students in her classroom are what brought the film together and made it come to life.

This is a touching story about Erin Gruwell, a typical well off white woman, who comes in to teach at Woodrow Wilson High, in the classroom where an integration has been implemented. There is much tension towards her, and between students of different race, but also from the head of the department, who would rather her teach them discipline than reading and writing. More importantly, we hear about the lives of the students in her classroom, how they are all fighting in their own personal wars. Basically, they all have it rough, but their teacher, who seems to be taking care of herself, and having an easy life, comes in and attempts to turn them into better people, help them get an education, and make the students, and herself, one big family.

Although the film was well put together, the storyline seems a little unbelievable. The chances of a typical white woman, with no teaching experience, coming in and getting as far as she did with her students without getting jumped is a surprising factor in itself. I agree with the education department when they say her teaching is unethical as well, it seems as if she has no curriculum, though she argued she wanted to teach the kids to read and write, not just discipline, sometimes is seems as though that's what she did in the end anyway. I personally enjoy most docudramas, mainly because the events that take place, can actually happen in some people's everyday lives; knowing that makes them a lot more touching. Freedom Writers, however, has a little too much false hope in it.

In my opinion the film is so succesful because of the students acting. Its their stories, and their preformances that keep you involved, when the script wants them to cry, it'll pull at your heart strings, you probably wont remember all of their names, but you'll remember their stories. The setting also played a big role in the film, it really helped to show how the students lived, and how much it ment to them being taken to big fancy resturants with chandalers, it also helped to set the atmosphere, along with the music, you could really get your head around their lives.

"Unexperienced Suburban female teacher can give hope to interracial students through awkward methods of teaching" Is obviously not the meaning that was ment, but after really thinking about it, thats all I can take from this film. I mean, without her, the lives of these students probably would have been completely different, they would not have gotten and education like they did, and would have probably died in a gang fight, chances are, some of them still will. The actual meaning of the movie is something like, as long as you have hope, or as long as you believe, you'll pull through.