American girl
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | American girl |
| Original title | American Girl Confessions of an American Girl |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2002 |
| length | 79 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Jordan Brady |
| script | Scott Sandoe |
| production |
Stavros Merjos , Yoram Pelman , Adam Rosenfelt , Chad Snopek , Sheila Wurmser |
| music | Amotz Plessner |
| camera | David Hennings |
| cut |
Shawna Callahan , Janice Hampton |
| occupation | |
| |
American Girl is an American film directed by Jordan Brady in 2002 .
action
Fifteen-year-old Rena Grubb, her two siblings and her mother live in a trailer park. Every family member struggles with severe problems. Rena is unhappy with her life, has a relationship with a popular classmate who uses her only to have sex with her, and makes several suicide attempts. The only bright spot in her life is her father John, whom she hardly remembers, as he has been serving a prison sentence for the murder of two homosexuals for many years. She projects into him all of her longings, which nourish rare, superficial postcards. Her half-sister Barbie is constantly making fun of her, has heart problems, and has a sexual relationship with her stepfather. Her brother Jay, on the other hand, sees himself exposed to exaggerated expectations from his parents and is therefore unable to admit to his homosexuality. Finally, mother Madge feels like she has missed life and is unable to make decisions for her family.
When Rena becomes pregnant - which Jay advises her to cover up so as not to look like she is suitable for the Jerry Springer show - she persuades her family to accompany her to the prison for a day of visits. Here everyone involved is confronted with their life lies . The brother Jay has sexual contact with another prison inmate for the first time and realizes the sexual relationship between Barbie and John. The mother Madge also notices that she has been cheated on for years without realizing with whom. Rena finally realizes that she has been guilty of a life lie for years. Her father is also responsible for the fact that she loses the child. Her brother can prevent another suicide attempt.
The family decides to separate from their father and start a new life in another city.
Reviews
- David Nusair wrote on "Reel Film Reviews" that the film exploited the issue of white antisocials. It doesn't work, the characters are "disgusting", the direction is "boring". The comedy looks like a pilot episode of a sitcom. The representations are "surprisingly skillful".
- Rotten Tomatoes : The film is a "bittersweet teenage comedy".
- James Plath ruled on DVDTOWN.com that in the second half of the film (in jail) you see more of the grubbs than mere types and begin to like them, if not to worship them. The balance between humor and pathos and the development from derision to respect is the greatest work of this small, humble film. When the characters changed, the audience's attitudes toward them changed to sympathy and respect, which is supported by some very believable portrayals. When Rena finally gets to know her father, as Barbie and Jay got to know themselves, when Madge finally realizes which direction her family must take, the Grubbs would get close in ways that would never qualify them to appear on the Jerry Springer Show. The film has a heart, but like in real life it takes time to realize it.
Web links
- American Girl in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- American Girl at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ "Reel Film Reviews"
- ↑ American Girl at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- ↑ Confessions Of An American Girl - DVD review (1 of 2) ( Memento of September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive )