FREEDOM WRITERS covers the well-trod ground of the idealistic teacher making a difference in the lives of underprivileged, inner-city kids. In this case, it’s Los Angeles a few years after the riots of 1992 and the teacher, Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank), is out to save these kids before they lose their way and end up as another statistic. Teaching them English grammar and composition might not seem like the intuitive method of doing that, but Gruwell starts with Tupac lyrics and eventually inspires them to keep diaries of their lives. The resulting work was, like the film it inspired, raw, emotional, and gave insight into a way of life that even Gruwell with all her good intentions, could never have understood any other way. Or the rest of us for that matter. It’s a cliché to say that she learned as much from them as they did from her, but it’s true. The lesson was respect, and the film, never sentimental, never simple, is as fearless as Gruwell was in taking on the issues at hand. The reality of the student’s lives is related in their own words, which has a visceral poetry, as does the film.
Swank is great as the bright-eyed classroom rookie who follows her own path in getting through to the kids. Her ability to be both emotionally open and have a spine of steel serves her in good stead. When, against the advice of experienced, hardened teachers and administrators, she still wears her good pearls to work, it’s not naiveté, it’s a political statement. When her father (Scott Glenn) and husband (Patrick Dempsey) have all manner and degree of misgivings, her continuing on her mission as she sees it, is revolutionary. That talent makes the way her speech about the Holocaust, which none of her students had ever heard of, work. That her students start taking her seriously after that is a given rather than the usual Hollywood leap of faith and stretch of credulity.
The commentary track features Swank, who runs the gamut from puckish to dead serious, and writer/director Richard LaGravenese, who follows along while still giving the sort of background that really does enhance the film’s viewing or re-viewing. Going from book to script, winnowing and refining characters and story arc is a succinct précis on why going with one’s gut is an essential part of the creative process. The resulting visualization has the touch of magical realism to it, but is anything but escapist.
Technical details are engagingly brought to life. From using crinkle-free paper bags, to the importance of soundtrack in setting mood that turns into a discussion of the eternal struggle between art and commerce that all filmmakers have to deal with on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. Gruwell is a remarkable woman, and the DVD satisfies the viewer’s curiosity by including her in it’s story-behind-the-story featurette, one that has almost as much drama and exhilaration as the film itself.
FREEDOM WRITERS is an intelligent film about complex issues, social and emotional, personal and professional, all handled in a way that challenges the audience rather than reassures or placates it. It’s also one that is worth more than one viewing to fully enjoy the nuances that give so much substance and so much soul to the story.
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