Trailer
Actual Movie
Actual Movie
(12 Parts)
Plot
(Sources: Wikipedia)
The film opens with footage of the Los Angeles riots of 1992 and introduces Eva (April Lee Hernández), a Latina whose father was wrongly arrested for supposed retaliation to a drive-by shooting. She is initiated in a gang, and only goes to Wilson High School because her parole officer threatened her with boot camp. The Long Beach high school and its area are the place of a gang war, where hatred and racism is abound. Meanwhile, naive first-time teacher Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) gets a job teaching freshman English at Wilson High School. Her first day at school is a shock to her, as she sees a fight almost break out in her classroom and a full scale gang battle at the school. Her students do not obey her and continuously talk back to her.
One night, Eva and a Cambodian refugee, Sindy (Jaclyn Ngan), find themselves in the same convenience store. Another student, Grant Rice (Armand Jones), is frustrated at losing an arcade game and demands a refund from the owner. When he storms out, Eva's boyfriend attempts a driveby shooting on him, accidentally killing Sindy's boyfriend. As Eva is a witness, she must testify at court; she intends to protect her own kind in her testimony.
At school, Gruwell intercepts a racist drawing of one of her students, and uses it to teach them about the Holocaust. She gradually begins to earn their trust, and buys them composition books to record a diary, in which they talk about their experiences of being abused, seeing their friends die, and being evicted. Determined to reform her students, she takes two part-time jobs to pay for more books and spends more time at school, to the disappointment of her husband (Patrick Dempsey). Her students start to behave with respect and learn more, and a transformation is especially visible in one of her students, Marcus (Jason Finn). She invites several Holocaust survivors to talk with her class about their experiences, and takes them on a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance. Meanwhile, her unorthodox teaching methods are scorned by her colleagues and department chair Margaret Campbell (Imelda Staunton). The next year comes, and Gruwell teaches her class again for sophomore year.
In class, when reading The Diary of a Young Girl, or Anne Frank's diary, they decide to invite Miep Gies over to talk to them. After fundraising the money to send her over, she tells them her experiences hiding Anne Frank. When Marcus tells her that she is his hero, she denies it, claiming she was merely doing the right thing. Her denial causes Eva to rethink lying during her testimony. When she testifies, she finally breaks down and tells the truth. Meanwhile, Gruwell gives her students a project to write their diary in the form of a book. She compiles the projects into a book and names it The Freedom Writer Diaries, after the Freedom Riders. Her husband divorces her, and Margaret tells her she cannot teach her kids for their junior year. She fights this decision, eventually convincing the superintendent to allow her to teach her kids' junior and senior year. The film ends with a note that Gruwell successfully brought many of her students to graduation and college.
(Sources: Wikipedia)
The film opens with footage of the Los Angeles riots of 1992 and introduces Eva (April Lee Hernández), a Latina whose father was wrongly arrested for supposed retaliation to a drive-by shooting. She is initiated in a gang, and only goes to Wilson High School because her parole officer threatened her with boot camp. The Long Beach high school and its area are the place of a gang war, where hatred and racism is abound. Meanwhile, naive first-time teacher Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) gets a job teaching freshman English at Wilson High School. Her first day at school is a shock to her, as she sees a fight almost break out in her classroom and a full scale gang battle at the school. Her students do not obey her and continuously talk back to her.
One night, Eva and a Cambodian refugee, Sindy (Jaclyn Ngan), find themselves in the same convenience store. Another student, Grant Rice (Armand Jones), is frustrated at losing an arcade game and demands a refund from the owner. When he storms out, Eva's boyfriend attempts a driveby shooting on him, accidentally killing Sindy's boyfriend. As Eva is a witness, she must testify at court; she intends to protect her own kind in her testimony.
At school, Gruwell intercepts a racist drawing of one of her students, and uses it to teach them about the Holocaust. She gradually begins to earn their trust, and buys them composition books to record a diary, in which they talk about their experiences of being abused, seeing their friends die, and being evicted. Determined to reform her students, she takes two part-time jobs to pay for more books and spends more time at school, to the disappointment of her husband (Patrick Dempsey). Her students start to behave with respect and learn more, and a transformation is especially visible in one of her students, Marcus (Jason Finn). She invites several Holocaust survivors to talk with her class about their experiences, and takes them on a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance. Meanwhile, her unorthodox teaching methods are scorned by her colleagues and department chair Margaret Campbell (Imelda Staunton). The next year comes, and Gruwell teaches her class again for sophomore year.
In class, when reading The Diary of a Young Girl, or Anne Frank's diary, they decide to invite Miep Gies over to talk to them. After fundraising the money to send her over, she tells them her experiences hiding Anne Frank. When Marcus tells her that she is his hero, she denies it, claiming she was merely doing the right thing. Her denial causes Eva to rethink lying during her testimony. When she testifies, she finally breaks down and tells the truth. Meanwhile, Gruwell gives her students a project to write their diary in the form of a book. She compiles the projects into a book and names it The Freedom Writer Diaries, after the Freedom Riders. Her husband divorces her, and Margaret tells her she cannot teach her kids for their junior year. She fights this decision, eventually convincing the superintendent to allow her to teach her kids' junior and senior year. The film ends with a note that Gruwell successfully brought many of her students to graduation and college.
Journal Reflections-:
Why did I choose to participate in this activity?
I basically like movie and I see it as a way to "de-stress" myself.
( This movie was played in class ) =x
What got me started? / How I got started?
Hmm... By default, I myself already like to watch movies.. But to be exact, it is because my friends' influence. ( watching movies regularly is very expensive !!!)
Hmm... By default, I myself already like to watch movies.. But to be exact, it is because my friends' influence. ( watching movies regularly is very expensive !!!)
What did I hope to learn or archieve from it?
Movies are fiction. What we, as the audience (third party) sees from the movie enable us to learn and understand how the characters in the movies think and feel. Subconciously, we learn and improve on our current knowledge of understanding other people (empathy) , be it a friend or a stranger. Thus, developing better communication skills that will never be found and learnt on usual textbook.
Movies are fiction. What we, as the audience (third party) sees from the movie enable us to learn and understand how the characters in the movies think and feel. Subconciously, we learn and improve on our current knowledge of understanding other people (empathy) , be it a friend or a stranger. Thus, developing better communication skills that will never be found and learnt on usual textbook.
However, for this particular movie, it is an extract from a real event.
What I enjoy about the activity and why?
The theater environment. Most of all, the comfortable seat. ^.^V
Actually is because since movies are mostly fiction, it usually contain the "adventure" that is not in our usual lifestyle and this is why i enjoy catching movie a lot.
The theater environment. Most of all, the comfortable seat. ^.^V
Actually is because since movies are mostly fiction, it usually contain the "adventure" that is not in our usual lifestyle and this is why i enjoy catching movie a lot.
What did I learn from it?
To empathy and better communication with others.
To empathy and better communication with others.
The selfless giving of a teacher to her class shows us how noble teachers are. xD
What challanges did I encounter?
Nothing, since the movie was screen in class...
Actually there is.. trying to stay awake for the whole of the movie.. =X
Actually there is.. trying to stay awake for the whole of the movie.. =X
How were these challanges eventually overcome?
A quick toilet break.. o.O?
What mattered most and why?
The content of the movie, no point watching movie without a good content...
What do the failures or sucesses mean?
Not able to catch the movie? I can wait for youtube or VCD release..xD
Kidding.. I guess this question is not applicable to me.
Kidding.. I guess this question is not applicable to me.
What life lessons have I learned?
Always be early in everything you do.. in my case.. if i am slow, i might not be able to catch my movie.
Understanding (Empathy) and communicating with people better.
Catch the movies during weekdays 12noon -5pm, there's student price! xD
Watch movies in class!
How the experience will affect my future?
Seriously, I will be more confident and also understand my future employer and co-workers.
Have I become a better / stronger person? In what ways?
Umm.. yep.. sometimes have to learn form the movie even its fiction..In time of crisis, face up to the problem, hiding won't get you anywhere.
Personal Add-ons:
From this movie, Freedom Writers, I learnt that every individuals have their own set of problems to face. In order for people to accept you, you first have to accept them first, which can be establish by creating bonds due to similarity. If everyone judge others by their past, background, race, religion, etc.. never will forever get along. This movie vividly shows that how a teacher form the class bonding through common similarities and encourage everyone to look and move forward, not backwards and judge people by their past.
No comments:
Post a Comment