To think that one out of two might have straightened out her life, is not saying that the system works. Unlike Megan, who ends up bitter, Shanae has a positive outlook that things will become better. The documentary, indeed, treats girlhood as its subject a phase of life distinct from womanhood, childhood or any other experience. Girlhood Directed by Liz Garbus Documentary, Crime Not Rated 1h 22m By Stephen Holden Oct. 29, 2003 Liz Garbus's hard-headed documentary film ''Girlhood'' is prefaced with an unsettling. They both received open-ended sentences and their release depends on their current jail behavior. Sometimes, it is members of our own families that expose our children to drugs and alcohol, something I have often seen growing up in my own neighbourhood. "I was really, really, really confused at the time," Megan says. Often it's not enough. Copyright 2006 - 2023 by CIStems, Inc., d.b.a. She had lived in an environment that was full of disruption. The girls the film follows for three years are Shanae and Megan, as the film begins in 1999. Girlhood Directed by Liz Garbus A riveting documentary about two young offenders serving time in a Baltimore juvenile facility and their struggles over a three-year period to forge a new life for themselves against formidable odds. The relationship between staff and the young women at Waxter is for the most part warm and friendly. The first example is how wary she is of strangers (Eysenck, 2015). With the girls going nowhere at Waxter, they were given a new lease on life by changing facilities. This leads to her eventual rehabilitation from delinquency. Make sure to answer each of the questions as thoroughly as possible. Girlhood (2003) Documentary - YouTube Wake up to the day's most important news. She is often well behaved, but she still shows bouts of mischief. Even though her parent is giving her support, she was still scared of Shanae. I didnt see any reason to be as guardedly optimistic as Ms. Garbus seemed to be about stemming this problem through good parenting and realizing that teens are smarter than we think, and sometimes they have no choice but to figure things out by themselves. This is where politics comes in and things get ugly. Shanae is 14 and has served two years at Waxter for the murder of her friend, a crime she committed when she as only 12 years old. In the film Girlhood by Liz Garbus we are introduced to two young girl's named Megan and Shanae, who committed a crime and are getting help through a facility that helps young girls reflect on their actions. Issues such as child neglect, failure of the foster care system, alcoholism and drug abuse. Garbus follows Shanae and Megan over a three-year period as they move through the juvenile system, struggle with mixed feelings toward their mothers, comment on the efforts of the staff to set them on the straight and narrow, and try to cope with the changes in their lives. 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. This paradoxical relationship with her parent is evident (Brody & Dwyer, 2016). 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. Garbus rigidity in framing the girls experiences does not allow for the expansiveness and complexity allowed by new theories of girlhood. A story of mothers and daughters, crimes and consequences, and strength in the face of unimaginable adversity, girlhood is a testament to the faith and struggles of two girls just trying to grow up. In my own opinion, considering that Megan has to do all this on her own, hers is the greater achievement. I dont think its a right-wing conclusion to say that everyone needs family and that strong families raise strong, healthy, happy children who can grow up to be adults who can contribute positively to our society. http://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-14-et-girlhood14-story.html, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/29/movies/film-review-documentary-illuminates-young-lives-crossroads-redemption.html, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/girlhood-subjects-get-narrative-feature-829762, http://sites.google.com/view/ehdwjwbxfu/linkedlist-member-modification-c, this dissertation provides a compelling argument. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Megan is doing great for herself By age 10, she had been committed to two psychiatric hospitals and diagnosed as manic-depressive. Shanae was only 11 at the time and had tumbled into a numbed existence of drinking and drugs after being gang-raped by five boys. I have three lovely kids," she says. Their stories are depicted in the 2003 documentary Girlhood. From there she enrolls in high school, where she places fourth in her class, and plans to attend a community college. At 14, she was hit by a stray bullet during a gunfight. In the documentary, she is always trying to contact either the mother or the grandmother. Required fields are marked *, College Essay Examples | October 19, 2018. Abruptly, she halted the conversation. In the lower security facility interview, Shanae reveals that five men gang-raped her when she was young. It is also quite clear that the staff at Waxter have a special affection for her despite her antics. [Write my essay for me? Get help here.]. "I don't want to do this no more.". From there she enrolls in high school, where she places fourth in her class, and plans to attend a community college. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.This Documentary/Film \"Girlhood\" is not for any personal financial profit or gain to TheeSymphony'sCulture Channel, but instead only for educational purposes and cultural research. Open Document. Shanae had to go to a lower security facility before her mother was convinced that she was rehabilitated. Even though her mother has a problem with drugs and prostitution, she is distressed when she does not receive visits or calls from her. Shanae was ten years old when she was gang-raped by five boys. GIRLHOOD - Dennis Schwartz Reviews Megan Jensen is doing very well in life. 4 Pages. 794 Words. But the reality is that Shanae, because of the support of her family, is able to overcome the trauma of her childhood and the impact of her crime and graduate from high school and go on to community college whereas Megan, without really any family support, is only able to struggle, her greatest achievement being that she doesnt return to crime or become a hardcore drug addict. Shanae started drinking with her cousin. But not everyone has families like this. You watch Megan go from being a silly little girl at Waxter to being a bitter, angry and hard woman so quickly that you cant help but be reminded of Mr. Godseys point about these girls needing structure. The film is also said to be informative regarding the significance of the relationship between mothers and daughters. This comment is echoed by Mr. Godsey, a staff at the facility, who states in the film that although the girls dont like structure they need it because they havent had it at home. This is the latest feature-length non-fiction film from documentarian Liz Garbus, who has spotlighted imprisonment in 2002's "The Execution of Wanda June" and the 1998 Oscar-nominee "The Farm: Angola USA." As with those two films, "Girlhood" looks at the incarceration of violent-crime offenders. The girls crimes obviously color their experiences of girlhood, but they are humanized by Garbus editorial choices through camera angles, the stories we hear, the presentation of various sympathetic or irresponsible adults that accessorize and control the girls lives. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. The relationship between staff and the young girls is also essential to how the girls grow and move forward with their lives. Shanae also does well in school finishing fourth in her class. Profile of Liz Garbus by the Center for Social Media, Movie Fire Craker Website (Liz Garbus Film Website), Your email address will not be published. Documentary chronicling America's justice system. "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 Children's Center in Laurel, Maryland, to when they are out in the real world. Unfortunately, this meant that she wasnt around to supervise Shanae. 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. Her crime was that at 14 she cut up another girl with a box cutter in a dispute, and since shes been at the facility has gotten into some kind of trouble every day. This documentary really touched me and made me so much more grateful for my environment and support. Similarly, she seems to suffer from ambivalent attachment because she is always distressed when she is unable to receive affirmations from her mother. Part of HuffPost News. The number of girls incarcerated for violent crimes is on the rise. Girl Hood has been praised for its informative content and for raising awareness on a number of issues young people in detention centers face on a daily basis and how their lives lead to a life similar to their parents. As the film progresses we see Shanae go from feeling very little remorse or even understanding of the consequences of her violent actions, to feeling real remorse and a sense of responsiblity. The system essentially gives up on trying to control her and turns her loose to fend for herself. However, Garbus suggests that this is due to the lack of adequate recreational activities in Waxter (Garbus, 2003). Spirituality & Practice. Shanae is a plump black girl who mentions she lost her virginity in the Baltimore projects when she was 10, was raped by 5 boys at 11, and did drugs in her adolescent years as she hung out with the wrong friends. Early in the film it is apparent that Shanae doesnt really feel remorseful for the murder of her friend. The documentary "Girlhood" follows the lives of two girls, Shanae and Megan, from 1999-2002, during and shortly after their release from Waxter Juvenile Facility in Maryland. As much of my work is with teenage girls in high school, this issue is both personally and professionally relevant to me, however, I often wonder if girls are really becoming more violent or if our society is just admitting something that has always gone on but we didnt know how to label because of our stereotypical image of girls and women as somehow less aggressive than men. Our company is proud to host more than 80 of North Americas best essay writers. It is a sign of her resiliency that she manages to handle a tragedy that would have unsettled more wobbly teenagers. Girlhood misses some of the nuance of the girlhoods that it seeks to document in a few ways. Miriam Kruishoop ( Greencard Warriors) has signed on to write and direct Hood Girls, a narrative feature based on the life stories of the two subjects of Liz Garbus ' 2003 documentary Girlhood . As a left-wing filmmaker, she worried that this appeared to be some sort of right-wing Family Values advocate conclusion. Girl Hood was released in 2003 and since then has won many awards. By what name was Girlhood (2003) officially released in Canada in English? The juvenile justice system serves her well, because she's deeply involved in forging her own path. After watching the documentary, it is easy to see that Megans environment has contributed greatly to her childhood and ultimately her adult life. She was farmed out to live with a foster parent. 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. [Need anessay writing service? The title of the film is overly simple and, to an extent, revealing in its simplicity. Second, Shanae develops a positive outlook. Shanaes ability to feel remorse for her actions is seen as a key benchmark that needs to be achieved before she can leave Waxter. T he 'Girlhood' documentary highlights the plight of girls in juvenile centers with some psychological disorders. Because of the serious nature of her crime Shanae has been locked up for over two years and is anxious to go home when the film begins, but showing no remorse for her crime and acting like an obnoxious brat. The protagonists are Shanae Owens and Megan Jensen. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. Documentary looks at girlhood violence - Deseret News FILM REVIEW; A Documentary Illuminates Young Lives at the Crossroads of Redemption and Devastation, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/29/movies/film-review-documentary-illuminates-young-lives-crossroads-redemption.html. FILM REVIEW; A Documentary Illuminates Young Lives at the Crossroads of The films protagonists, Megan Jensen and Shanae Watkins. 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. Because the film does not incorporate the juvenile system that fails Megan and others like her, the focus of the film becomes on the distinction between mothers who neglect their children and mothers who do not. Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. Additionally, the film has also been criticized for ignoring the workers at Waxter. She perseveres through challenges in life. But if the viewer pays close attention to the film and Liz Garbus commentary we learn that Shanaes mother was a single parent working two jobs trying to support Shanae and move her family out of the projects. In the documentary "Girlhood, " the two main characters Shanae But in [Garbus] attempt to give their lives a shape that the girls themselves seem to resist, this talented filmmaker has done both herself and them a disservice.. Girlhood | Film Review | Spirituality & Practice She demonstrates that you can support and love your child while not making excuses for them.