Shanae was ten years old when she was gang-raped by five boys. By Kate Durbin 07/14/2021. 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. It is also quite clear that the staff at Waxter have a special affection for her despite her antics. At the Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street, Greenwich Village. The structure of Waxter allowed Megan to be a child, the streets provide no structure and force her to be more of an adult than most adults ever have to be. Liz Garbus's hard-headed documentary film ''Girlhood'' is prefaced with an unsettling statistic: in the last decade the number of violent assaults by under-age girls in this country has doubled. The film is also said to be informative regarding the significance of the relationship between mothers and daughters. In my own opinion, considering that Megan has to do all this on her own, hers is the greater achievement. Abruptly, she halted the conversation. From there she enrolls in high school, where she places fourth in her class, and plans to attend a community college. Shanae was raped by five teenagers when she was eleven and then was arrested and convicted for stabbing a friend to death with a knife when she was twelve. She had lived in an environment that was full of disruption. In the end, it seems the title Girlhood is both revealing and a misnomer: this film is about the liminal space of girlhoods colored by destabilizing events in their lives (and the larger systems and circumstances dictated by a society that easily discards the humanity of girls, people of color, queer people, differently abled people and poor people). 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. In an interview with NPR, the films director, Liz Garbus, admits that Girlhood was originally a documentary about incarcerated boys, but the girls stories were more interesting to her. As Oprah questioned Megan about her current situation and plans for the future, the teen grew visibly agitated. 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. We have already learned that starting at the age of 10, Shanae began drinking alcohol heavily, was running away from home and having unprotected sex. Antoinette refuses to allow Shanae back home until she is convinced that her daughter has really changed and has gotten all the help that she needs. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Once Shanae begins to face the reality of what she did, she is transferred to a group home and begins to flourish. Press ESC to cancel. She then had to go about getting permission to film. The disrupted attachment led to a paradoxical relationship with the caregivers in Waxter (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010). 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. When she originally returned to Baltimore, Megan's life went downhill. Unfortunately, this meant that she wasnt around to supervise Shanae. Megan, we are told, has been in 11 foster houses by the age of 16. The film leaves us with a final mystery about human development. Megan Terry, an Obie Award winner, a founding member of the Open Theater group and a prolific feminist playwright who wrote and directed a rock musical on the New York stage that . She got into a knife fight at 11 with her girlfriend and fatally stabbed her three times. She was farmed out to live with a foster parent. What both girls crave is the stabilizing force of a caring and responsible mother. Shanaes development has been disrupted. "I was really, really, really confused at the time," Megan says. Part of HuffPost News. Just last week Waxter made headline news in Maryland after having been labeled by one childrens rights advocate as a house of horrors. At Waxter, girls like Shanae who have been sentenced for crimes, girls who would make mincemeat of the fillies in Thirteen, are placed alongside those who, as one news story put it, have not been found guilty of anything yet. Except, perhaps, being born poor and grievously disadvantaged. Wake up to the day's most important news. This paper provides a social psychological review of Megan and Shanae from an ecological point of view as well as an attachment perspective. However, her mother is a struggling drug addict who is unable to offer the care and support that she required. Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. Shanae also does well in school finishing fourth in her class. This film is not rated. . Ecological Framework Documentary chronicling America's justice system. This confused young girl ran away from ten foster homes and wound up attacking another girl with a box-cutter. The film will center on two prisoners serving. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. ET on OWN. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/29/movies/film-review-documentary-illuminates-young-lives-crossroads-redemption.html http://sites.google.com/view/ehdwjwbxfu/linkedlist-member-modification-c, Your email address will not be published. But Megan seemed like a lost cause as her pleas for love go unanswered and her unchanged bad behavior goes unchecked, as she gets into a verbal spat with mom and splits. Developmental Psychology: Childhood & Adolescence: Childhood and Adolescence. Lock 'em up and keep them off the streets is the familiar cry. A wild, tough-talking girl of mixed race who has run away from 10 foster homes, she was incarcerated for attacking another foster child with a box cutter. Shot on digital video and Super 8 film over the course of three years, "Girlhood" provides a partial account of what happened to Shanae and Megan under the state's alternately guarded and. I believe that you cant examine this increasing youth crime problem among girls without studying how the capitalist system effects social conditions. 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. Girlhood focuses on the life of two young juveniles, Shanae Owens and Megan Jensen both incarcerated for violent crimes. The girls have traumatic experiences that affect their relationship with others. Director Liz Garbus See production, box office & company info Search on Amazon search for Blu-ray and DVD Add to Watchlist Added by 1.8K users 8 User reviews airs Sundays at 9 p.m. Our managing editor an award-winning journalist has spent the past 7 years refining our roster. 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. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. In this field, deadlines are super important. The title Girlhood splits in two on the opening credits, with "girl" and "hood" on separate lines. By what name was Girlhood (2003) officially released in Canada in English? 1103 Words. Additionally, the film has also been criticized for ignoring the workers at Waxter. Strength-Based Approaches Second, she is distressed when her mother leaves. Life on the streets in a community where drugs are readily available offers her plenty of opportunities to repeat the same mistakes. [Write my essay for me? Get help here.]. 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. I was just doing anything to kill myself, honestly," she says. In the documentary Girlhood, Liz Garbus follows two young women who have encountered numerous misfortunes in the past that led them to implement their violent offences. Too often, I have seen parents make excuses for their children and this I feelhas actually stunted their childrens moral growth and led to them continuing to commit violent acts. On Not Rejecting Girlhood: A Conversation with Megan Milks and Marisa Crawford. He also states that although many of the girls leave Waxter and go on to live lives free of crime, others lives deteriorate when they get back home because of the dangers and tempations of life in their often crime-filled neighbourhoods (remember most of the inmates at Waxler are coming from Baltimore!). These girls are the subjects of Liz Garbus' documentary, Girlhood. Then, everything changed when Megan got pregnant. Megan Jensen had a difficult childhood. Megan also leaves Waxter. Over the years, Megan has run away from most of her foster homes in a desperate attempt to reunite with her mother. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Megan is doing great for herself That Ms. Garbus was able to get so close to her likable subjects and allow us to see that they are not quite the monsters we might perceive from reading the newspapers about such bad girls, is what makes this film so special. Abandoned by her mother, a heroin addict turned prostitute, Megan ran away from then different foster homes before being arrested on assault charges. 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. Similarly, she seems to suffer from ambivalent attachment because she is always distressed when she is unable to receive affirmations from her mother. 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. How A Violent Teen Who Had Given Up On Life Turned It All Around. T he 'Girlhood' documentary highlights the plight of girls in juvenile centers with some psychological disorders. At 14, she was hit by a stray bullet during a gunfight. Megan flounders around for a while and is eventually sent to another foster home, which doesn't work out. "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" Most of these reasons were actually some of the primary themes in Liz Garbus' documentary Girlhood, which followes the lives of these young women for three years from the . murdering another girl after the two got into an argument. The domain that best explains Megans attachment issues is the ambivalent/resistant attachment. It is during Shanaes interview to get into the lower security facility that we learn that she was also gang raped by five men. New York: Psychology Press. Like Us On Facebook | Follow Us On Twitter. She had many problems communicating with her foster parents, and she ran away ten times before she had even been arrested for aggravated assault. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Other aspects reveal themselves when she grows older. Our company is proud to host more than 80 of North Americas best essay writers. 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. The staff person made it clear that she wasnt there on official business. Both girls are likable, smart young women struggling to overcome traumatic backgrounds. The third is her reluctance to become close with others. Megan professes a love for her absentee and irresponsible mother, but does not receive the same support that Shanae gets from her more caring mom. Megan was shuffled through 11 different foster homes, running away from all except one. The popular phrase "Out of sight, out of mind" expresses the indifference of most Americans toward young offenders serving time in juvenile facilities. Running time: 88 minutes. The project, titled "Hood Girls," will be written and directed by Miriam Kruishoop ("Greencard Warriors") and produced by Atlantic Screen Productions. The film is told from the girls subjective viewpoint and plays as a coming of age story. AQA Psychology: AS and A-level Year 1. Question: In the documentary "Girlhood, " the two main characters Shanae and Megan had two very different reintegration experiences after being placed in a detention center. In the lower security facility interview, Shanae reveals that five men gang-raped her when she was young. Brody, R., & Dwyer, D. (2016). Garbus remarks during her DVD commentarythat she was torn while making this film because her ultimate conclusion during her experience following these girls lives was that Family Matters. In the documentary, she is always trying to contact either the mother or the grandmother. Liz Garbus has made other films about life in prison, such as the Academy Award Winning The Farm: Angola. Throughout the film, we are sympathetic to the challenges of Shanae and Megans girlhoods, but cannot substantively grasp, through the documentary, the unresolved nature of their status, as girls in a system that seeks to destroy not just girlhood, but life beyond girlhood too. Copyright 2022 My Essay Writer. Impact of Trauma Furthermore, at the end of the documentary, she enrolls in a community college nearby. Second, Shanae develops a positive outlook. "I don't want to do this no more.". One perspective on the film Girl Hood is that it is a highly informative documentary film in which the director does a spectacular job revealing to the world the issues young women such as Megan and Shanae face on a daily basis. Inside, she is desperately frightened of becoming just like her. Megan, a pretty girl with a devilish gleam in her eye, tries to get by on charm, but she doesn't have Shanae's focus. Last night I watched a documentary called, GIRLHOOD based on two young girls in the Baltimore juvenile detention center, Waxter. Or do some simply have the psychological equipment to move on while others don't? Then, she brutally stabbed another girl with a box cutter and ended up in juvenile home for some of the most violent young offenders in the country. Finally, she becomes distraught when her relationship with her mother ends. The film then changes focus on Megan and her deteriorating relationship with her mother. What Shows Have Been Renewed or Canceled. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. 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. We now have the best team of essay writers in the world. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, t. Directed by Liz Garbus; director of photography, Tony Hardmon; edited by Mary Manhardt; music by Theodore Shapiro; produced by Ms. Garbus and Rory Kennedy; released by Wellspring. At the beginning of the documentary, Shanae and Megan are 14 and 16, serving time for murder and assault, respectively. Oprah later told her she was the first person she had interviewed who had ever walked out on her. That is not to say that traumatic experience, crime or drug abuse are good, but that in these stories they exist and persist, even when the girls triumph and go to prom or spend time with family. In the movie, we were able to watch two female offenders in the juvenile justice system. 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. I remember being struck at the end of the film that one of the staff at Waxter came to Shanaes home to congratulate her on graduating and see her off to the prom. A child of the 1990s, I was a voracious reader of The Baby-Sitters Club book series by Ann M. Martin, which detailed the friendships of a group of young babysitters in Connecticut. We can see for ourselves how much love they need and how dangerous it is to think that institutions alone can solve these societal problems. I think this is key to Shanaes eventual success. Your email address will not be published. Treating the girls girlhoods as linear stories of overcoming erases the fullness, pain and challenge of all that comprises their girlhoods. "I am halfway through my Associates in Arts degree. Documentary chronicling America's justice system. In one of the scenes, she even says that no one loves her. Girlhood Movie Analysis. Unlike Megan, who ends up bitter, Shanae has a positive outlook that things will become better. Shanae was raped by five teenagers when she was eleven and then was arrested and convicted for stabbing a friend to death with a knife when she was twelve. Garbus explains that she encountered the contradictions of Shanae and Megans girlhoods early on; she mentions that she was struck by [Shanaes] little girl-ness, her innocence, but this was complicated by what she learned about the violence of her crime. That is to say, Garbus sees crime and girlhood as opposite experiences. Its no wonder. The majority of her life, her mother was either on the streets giving into her drug addiction or incarcerated for prostitution charges. Her future appears shaky. A lot of this seems due in part to her mother Antoinettes support. Even though there is an intense argument, after she tells her mother never to talk to her again, she has a nervous breakdown (Garbus, 2003). One characteristic of resilience that Megan portrays is her perseverance. The number of girls incarcerated for violent crimes is on the rise. The documentary Girlhood offers an insight on the emotional, psychological, and social reasoning behind the girl's actions. This led to a pregnancy at the age of 11 which her mother arranged for her to have terminated because it was feared that because of Shanaes heavy-drinking the baby would have fetal alcohol syndrome. This documentary really touched me and made me so much more grateful for my environment and support. Is the Megan inside Waxter the same Megan outside Waxter? An Ijaw Story: JOURNEY TO THE PRESENCE OF WOYINGI, Africas 100 Best Books of the 20th Century, African Regional Links: Central/Middle Africa, Literature from the Black African Diaspora, Documentary Review: girlhood by Liz Garbus, Countries: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Black Canadians of Afro-Caribbean Descent. At 14, she was hit by a stray bullet during a gunfight. 5 Pages. She portrays this by her apprehensive response that she gives to her parent. Your email address will not be published. Megan, a pretty girl with a devilish gleam in her eye, tries to get by on charm, but she doesn't have Shanae's focus. So the films have been very organically connected. Shanae Owens and Megan Jensen in girlhood. Shanae Owens and Megan Jensen in girlhood. Required fields are marked *. The DVD has an interesting commentary by Liz Barbus, whose filmogarphy is also provided. That roster includes ''The Farm: Angola, U.S.A,'' an acclaimed film about the largest maximum-security prison in the United States, and ''The Execution of Wanda Jean,'' a sympathetic portrait of the first black woman executed in America in the last 50 years. The documentary follows the plight of Megan and Shanae (Garbus, 2003). But not everyone has families like this. Feb 26th, 2022 Published. However, after the collective effort from her mother and rehabilitation officers, she becomes emotionally expressive. Early in the film it is apparent that Shanae doesn't really feel remorseful for the murder of her friend. How is Megan Jensen from Girlhood doing I just saw the film and was really. In Garbus film, Shanae and Megans girlhood set up a dichotomy: girlhood is good, everything else threatening, extraneous and intrusive, instead of part of the story of girlhood itself. However, Garbus suggests that this is due to the lack of adequate recreational activities in Waxter (Garbus, 2003). Even though she does not get the chance to further her education, she avoids returning to a life of crime (Garbus, 2003). New York: Psychology Press. After Megan and her mother have falling out and are no longer speaking, the film again shifts focus to Shanae, who has now just lost her mother to heart failure. To think that one out of two might have straightened out her life, is not saying that the system works. This leads to her eventual rehabilitation from delinquency. Her emotional responses are not well adjusted. We are introduced to them while they are incarcerated in Waxter Juvenile Detention Center, just outside of Baltimore, Maryland. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. 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 primary objective of the film is an exploration into the social implications for the increase of crime committed by young women such as Shanae and Megan. At the opening of the film girlhood by Liz Garbus, viewers are informed that the rates of young girls being charged with violent crimes is on the increase in the United States. Megan's mother was a drug-addled prostitute, and after being placed in, and escaping from, nearly a dozen foster homes, Megan committed a violent crime. ''Girlhood'' is the newest entry in Ms. Garbus's long list of socially concerned documentaries made for theaters and television. Liz Garbus made The Farm: Angola, USA in 1998, a riveting documentary about six men in a Louisiana penitentiary; it was nominated for an Academy Award. Her father's locked up. It indicates that she is wary of strangers (Garbus, 2003). Assignment #2 In class we viewed documentary titled Girlhood, the film surrounded two teenage girls named Megan and Shanae. The family situation takes over as more important than the help they received through the criminal justice system. There was nothing in this film that led me to believe that society has a handle on the current youth crime situation, and that made me sadder than the plight of these two confused girls who were trying to grow up too fast and came up short. 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. 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. 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. They both received open-ended sentences and their release depends on their current jail behavior. Girlhood[Motion Picture]. Megan had given up, and even ended up back in jail. In the beginning, Shanae is not remorseful for committing murder (Garbus, 2003). This difference in their experiences seems to be related to their familial relationships. Their stories are depicted in the 2003 documentary Girlhood. At the beginning of the documentary, Shanae and Megan are 14 and 16, serving time for murder and assault, respectively. The films protagonists, Megan Jensen and Shanae Watkins. The protagonists are Shanae Owens and Megan Jensen. Liz Garbus, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1999 for The Farm: Angola, USA, shoots in her latest an unflinching cinema verite documentary about two teenager girls who committed violent crimes and are now incarcerated at Maryland's Waxter Juvenile Facility. Having been abandoned by her mother, with whom she has a very complicated relationship, Megan is desperate for attention and affection. "Excuse me," she said. That was 11 years ago. Well, its also said to be on the increase here in Canada. I dont think girls are really less aggressive than boys, nor do I think we should somehow pathologize aggressive and violent behaviour by girls but see it as a given among boys. Today, the Baltimore native is living in North Carolina and acknowledges that she wasn't in a good place during her "Oprah Show" appearance. Liz Garbus, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1999 for The Farm: Angola, USA, shoots in her latest an unflinching cinema verite documentary about two teenager girls who committed violent crimes and are now incarcerated at Marylands Waxter Juvenile Facility. Her divorced mom moved to the suburbs to get her out of harms way but Shanae, though never arrested, still managed to find again the wrong friends and display bad conduct at home. Megan is 16 and is in Waxter for Assault with a deadly weapon. The system essentially gives up on trying to control her and turns her loose to fend for herself. Issues such as child neglect, failure of the foster care system, alcoholism and drug abuse. If the movie suggests that a strong mother-daughter bond is the key to a successful rehabilitation, it is too intelligent to belabor that notion. 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. The early life trauma that these girls experienced impacted . Decent Essays. "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" While Shanae sublimates her anger and hurt and moves on with life, for Megan everything is right on the surface. On the other hand, Girl Hood creates an uncomfortable comparison between Shanae and Megan and their relationship with their mothers. AMCTheatres.com or AMC App New. In Garbus version of their lives, these experiences do not bring them down. They emerge triumphant; their girlhood, we end up hoping, will be salvaged. LA Times reviewer Manohla Dargis notes, Garbus obsession with levity ultimately triumphs, leaving us with an unfinished picture: [T]o turn complex and contradictory lives into palatable narratives, is one of the least-examined pitfalls in nonfiction filmmaking. In her commentary on the film, available on the DVD, Garbus admits to being struck by Shanaes intelligence and cutesiness (she was wearing pigtails at the time) and then shocked to discover that Shanae was locked up for murder! Nevertheless, this is a worthwhile close-up look at two of the troublesome girls who are representative of the problems society faces. Shanae shows certain resilience characteristics that help her reform her life. The staff never followed up Megans progress as they should have and she was unsupervised when she suddenly left the foster home and lived with friends, thereby returning to drugs and her former East Baltimore street life. The relationship between staff and the young women at Waxter is for the most part warm and friendly. 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 Childrens Center in Laurel, Maryland, to when they are out in the real world. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center.Documentary chronicling America's justice system. While Shanae told her own story -- murdering another girl after the two got into an argument -- and shared remorse for her violent actions, Megan seemed much more guarded. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. This is where politics comes in and things get ugly. She has lived in foster homes most of her life, as her white mother Vernessa is a drug addict and a prostitute who served a long stretch in jail and is currently once again serving time in the Baltimore Detention Center. Open Document. At Waxter, Megans need for attention and affection, her vulnerablity, are on display for everyone to see. Then, she got up and walked off set. In class we watched the video Girlhood. With the girls going nowhere at Waxter, they were given a new lease on life by changing facilities. Girlhood gives us a glimpse into the lives of two troubled young women who desperately try to forge a new life for themselves against formidable odds. New York: Cengage Learning. She demonstrates that you can support and love your child while not making excuses for them. She is also silly and childish which is what you expect for a girl her age. Shanae and Megans story has reached a large audience and even caught the attention of talk show host Oprah Winfrey, however, many are critical of its overambitious attempts and lack of direction. Dennis Schwartz: Ozus World Movie Reviews, Copyright 2023 - Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews. Be sure to answer all parts to each question. "I started using cocaine, I was strung out on drugs -- bad. Interviews. 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. 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