Girlhood (2003) User Reviews

Somewhat surprising ending

[scowl · 7/10 · 17 October 2008]

If you look at both both girls' stories at the beginning, it seems like Megan had the best chance to fit back into society. Although she had a history of running away, her crime was not extremely violent (from what little we're told). She's energetic, driven, charismatic, fairly focused, aware of her family's faults, and could easily become a hairdresser or stylist which was her hobby while locked up. She's also beautiful and stylish which can make a difference when getting into that profession (and of course that's why she's on the DVD cover).

Shanae on the other hand seems unfocused and passive. She seems to have accepted her situation and is making the best of it. Her mother dies suddenly right when she's making great progress. And there's one fact that this movie glosses over repeatedly: she's a murderer. She stabbed a girl three times which killed her. While Shanae is going to the prom and enjoying teenage life, there's another girl in a coffin who will never experience that. If this ever occurs to Shanae, she never speaks about it.

The surprise: Shanae is the success story. She gets good grades, never gets into trouble again and has a lot of people proud of her. She even becomes more articulate, able to express complex ideas that the old Shanae probably couldn't have formulated. The director commentary said she's only had more success after the documentary finished. Despite being a murderer and losing her mother, she's everything we could hope for.

Megan on the other hand goes out of control. Her family only exists for her to yell at and blame her problems on which we get to see over and over. Her real family is her loser friends she hangs out with, whoever they may be on any given day. Her only apparent goal is to follow in her mother's footsteps, straight into jail. Her street "Bawlmore" accent becomes thicker and stupider and shows which direction he's headed. In the end the director asks her if she could have three wishes come true, what would they be. Megan, clearly under the influence of something, can't think of a single wish worth asking for. She's perfectly content at that moment and that's all she cares about.

If you watch it again with the knowledge of how things turned out, then you can see what was really going on. Shanae was quiet but that only hid her inner drive and confidence that we didn't know existed. Megan was a drama queen, faking sickness, seeking attention from everyone, breaking rules, and constantly manipulating the staff to get what she wanted. What looked like drive and energy would actually become weaknesses in the real world. Shanae returned to a family who cared about her and was proud of her. Megan went back to a surrogate family of clueless corner kids, a mother she has no respect for, and no one who really cared about her.

I wish they had given more information on the girls' lives before they were incarcerated from other more objective people. We know next to nothing about the crimes they committed. This made me feel like the director purposely downplayed these clues and withheld information in order to make the ending more surprising which isn't fair to the audience. All we hear are bits and pieces from the girls themselves and very brief titles saying what happened. For example Megan's habit of running away from foster homes was actually a strong clue of how her brain worked than was implied when she was released.

Update on Megan

[shrimpandgrits · 26 October 2010]

I think this movie proves this country gives children nothing but lip service. Everything is "for the children"; however, this is powerful evidence to the contrary.

Megan is doing really well now and is in college, despite the damning predictions of the previous reviewers. I never doubted for a moment she could do it. She has a powerful ability to forgive, and by her example I have been encouraged to do the same. She is lovely, loving, and worthy of love, and I am proud of her. She is a loving mother, talented cook, avid reader, and a great friend despite what has happened to her. I wish movies like this followed up on subjects later in life.

My questions and wonders

[sakes_alive11 · 9/10 · 25 July 2006]

I thought the movie was captivating, it drew me into the two girls' lives and everything they went through. You could hear the emotions and felt the anger, the sadness. But it also made me wonder, why was Megan not looked after in essence like Shanae was? It seemed like there was more of an effort to know where Shanae was and more help was provided for her then for Megan. As for the staff of the Waxter, they were awesome. When Ms. Hill choked on her tears for Shanae leaving - it was heartfelt. That's when you really knew how much time and love were put in for the girls in this particular place. It was so true and it left me with a nice feeling knowing there are people out there that do love what they do.

Story telling is exactly what it should be

[GennaJourney · 9/10 · 7 February 2007]

I felt a need to just say a word or two about this movie. It isn't everyday a female teacher gets a chance to see a story about girls who are being lost and left by the wayside.

Whatever happens with the class clown who just seems to have one or two social problems? Do they go on to reform themselves and be a girl makes good story? Or do they just sink down into a pit of their own making? This documentary is one about two ladies in Baltimore, Maryland. The story might play out differently if people live in different parts of the United States. It even might be common enough where a street smart person might say, "Yes and?" For everyone else, it can be devastating.

These ladies are smart, pretty, idealistic and ambitious. How did they wind up incarcerated at such a young age? Will they make it? The filmmaker just tells you about their circumstances. She doesn't have to go into depth for those of us familiar with the statistics. If you like documentaries and want to find out more, make use of the resources mentioned in the DVD extras and take another step.

It is worth your time and your understanding.

The Real Reality

[mswanberg-72405 · 10/10 · 1 July 2015]

I was extremely moved by this documentary. It was on par for me with Country Boys; perhaps even more because I share a gender with the women in this film. My childhood was nowhere near the experience of these women and yet I found a deep sense of empathy and understanding for what they were going through. I was impressed with their ability to articulate their lives. That was something I couldn't do until I was 30. I suffered from a childhood of emotional neglect and was extremely moved at the things Vanessa said to her mother and then again later by the things Megan said to Vanessa when they were in the car. A girl needs her mother!!! The system that these girls were put through certainly did help them. It gave them a narrative that they could work with. Language is everything!

So.. have we seen this movie before?

[AJBraxton · 5/10 · 29 May 2006]

Haven't we seen this documentary before? Quick - name a Lifetime movie with the same story line. I was set up at the beginning for some sort of documentary on the alarming change in girl crime. But.. I didn't get it. The case studies did not seem to exemplify something alarming or horrifying. Perhaps it was the fact that with both girls the viewer was consistently given hope. Shanae made it. The other girl.. who knows where she is today. The movie I would like to have seen would have shown perhaps a wider variety and a lock-up facility where everyone is not a happy family and there is not violence. I have a hard time believing this is the norm.. but then again, the film maker does not say it's the norm...she just begins the movie with the premise that there is something alarming in the girl hood. We just never get to see it.

Heart Breaking

[coolbluegreen · 5 August 2004]

I would like to say here that I have no idea what the other reviewer was talking about when she mentioned a supposed "sickeningly happily ever after ending" for Shanae. I saw no such thing. Her story is a tragedy and her mother's story is a tragedy. I was stunned and deeply saddened by what happened. The fact of the matter is, Shanae DOES seem to have turned her life around. Hopefully it will last. She pulled it together enough, despite all her problems, to be a medical assistant. As for Megan, I really felt for her. She did not have the supportive family that Shanae did. Despite Megan's intelligence, talent, and beauty, it seems the world will be a very hard place for her. I was SO GRATEFUL for my family after watching this movie. I would like to add one thing -- the staff at the facilities where these girls lived are SAINTS. I could never do a job like that -- it would be so hard, so depressing -- and yet it is such an important job! Thank god there are people like the staff I saw in this film -- people who care enough to work with these kids and to do their jobs with honor and compassion.

Good movie

[imdbyes · 20 May 2007]

I was captivated by these peoples lives. We got to hear there stories, meet there families, and also the staff at the correctional facility's. I wish more movies were like this. This is real life. These are real people. Not all documentary's are good, but I was happily surprised by this one. It was sad, yes, but I also think it is something everyone should see. People struggle, it is hard to survive, some people make it, others don't. I also really enjoyed the commentary on the DVD. I could've watched more bonus features, etc. on this movie since I liked it so much. I kind of wish it was longer, although it did end at an appropriate time, I was just so deep into there lives. Oh, and Megan really is charismatic.