Subsequently, she was always looking for that support and without it had less incentive and means to create a change in her life. Shanae Owens is incarcerated after murdering a friend at age eleven and Megan Jensen for assault with a deadly weapon on a foster sibling. The history of American documentary cinema is rife with well-intentioned filmmakers like Garbus who have trained their cameras on the abject, the neglected and the powerless. Open Document. Girlhood. Shanae committed the most serious of crimes, yet she's open-faced and radiant. Abandoned by her mother, a heroin addict turned prostitute, Megan ran away from then different foster homes before being arrested on assault charges. The impulse to end on an up note, to turn complex and contradictory lives into palatable narratives, is one of the least-examined pitfalls in nonfiction filmmaking. The disrupted attachment led to a paradoxical relationship with the caregivers in Waxter (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010). The film is intense and very blunt but it also does a great job of showing the human side of these two young people over a three year span of time. Megan was shuffled through 11 different foster homes, running away from all except one. Shaffer, D. R., & Kipp, K. (2010). The documentary follows the plight of Megan and Shanae (Garbus, 2003). After graduating from the Comosun College's journalism program, she went on to work at community newspapers throughout Atlantic Canada, before embarking on her freelancing journey. Megan grew up without the love and support of her mother who was in prison for drugs and prostitution. Girlhoodshows day-to-day scenes in the girls' lives at Waxter, allowing you to really familiarize yourself with them. The girls have traumatic experiences that affect their relationship with others. Volatile, articulate and desperately needy, Megan seethes with bitterness at having been abandoned by her mother, Vernessa, a heroin addict and prostitute, who has spent many years in prison. Here are 22 essential L.A. spots for every tourist, Column: We cant afford another writers strike. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Vidiots returns: L.A. institution reveals opening date for new movie theater, video store, Everything Everywhere All at Once explained: Hot dog hands, empathy challenges and meaning in the absurd, Captain America: The Winter Soldier reviews salute action, intrigue, Morgan Freeman criticizes Black History Month and the term African American, Armie Hammer sexual-assault allegations being reviewed by L.A. prosecutors, Waynes World is not the film Penelope Spheeris wants to be remembered for, Super Mario Bros. surpasses $600 million to top the 2023 box office, The actor, the hairstylist and the eye surgeon: Drugs and death in a Malibu beach house, Have guests in town? The majority of her life, her mother was either on the streets giving into her drug addiction or incarcerated for prostitution charges. 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). The subject of their research lies in the standards of juvenile detention centers and facilities. How A Violent Teen Who Had Given Up On Life Turned It All Around. Co-producer, sound Amy Goodman. "I just lost all respect for myself," she says. By age 10, she had been committed to two psychiatric hospitals and diagnosed as manic-depressive. The documentary Girlhood offers an insight on the emotional, psychological, and social reasoning behind the girl's actions. The film then changes focus on Megan and her deteriorating relationship with her mother. 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. The length of her stay at Waxter will depend on whether she can acknowledge what she did and show appropriate remorse. Harrowing moment medics rush to save Jeremy Renner's life after he was crushed by 14,000lb snow plow - as actor is seen sprawled on the ground in a pool of his own blood and with 35 broken bones "Girlhood Juvenile Delinquents Shanae Megan Waxter Juvenile" (2013, November 14) Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.paperdue.com/essay/girlhood-juvenile-delinquents-shanae-megan-127185, "Girlhood Juvenile Delinquents Shanae Megan Waxter Juvenile" 14 November 2013. Garbus rigidity in framing the girls experiences does not allow for the expansiveness and complexity allowed by new theories of girlhood. 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. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/girlhood What Parents Need to Know. Movies about murdered prostitutes and serial killers who prey on women are so ubiquitous as to be banal, and perhaps not even shockingly these stories tend to be about the cops or lawyers investigating the crimes to which they have fallen victim, and not about the women themselves. Against all odds, they have become responsible citizens who give back to their communities.. 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 am halfway through my Associates in Arts degree. "I started using cocaine, I was strung out on drugs -- bad. At twelve years old Shanae was involved in a fight that ended with Shanae stabbing and killing a young girl. The film was shown at 30 festivals around the world and won over a dozen prizes. At 14, she was hit by a stray bullet during a gunfight. At the beginning of the documentary, Shanae and Megan are 14 and 16, serving time for murder and assault, respectively. As for the staff of the Waxter, they were awesome. "I didn't know how to love anybody or to depend on people because I never had anyone stable enough in my life to actually show me that kind of love and compassion.". The documentary, indeed, treats girlhood as its subject a phase of life distinct from womanhood, childhood or any other experience. Her emotional responses are not well adjusted. Finally, she becomes distraught when her relationship with her mother ends. Sitting in the back of her mother and fathers car, Shanae -- one of the two teenage girls at the center of Liz Garbus arresting nonfiction film about young offenders -- declares that the schoolmate she stabbed to death a few years earlier has it easier. The documentary follows the plight of Megan and Shanae (Garbus, 2003). And at 12, she had become a killer. 2023, https://www.paperdue.com/essay/girlhood-juvenile-delinquents-shanae-megan-127185, Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative We now have the best team of essay writers in the world. Second, Shanae develops a positive outlook. But Vernessa quickly reverts to her old ways, and the scenes of Megan viciously berating her mother for her failures are painful to watch. Shanae shows certain resilience characteristics that help her reform her life. She stays briefly at another foster home before running away to live with friends and eventually by herself in the treacherous East Baltimore neighborhood where she got into trouble. Girlhood misses some of the nuance of the girlhoods that it seeks to document in a few ways. Juvenile Delinquency It was so true and it left me with a nice feeling knowing there are people out there that do love what they do. By what name was Girlhood (2003) officially released in Canada in English? Shanae had to go to a lower security facility before her mother was convinced that she was rehabilitated. First, she has goals and aspirations. Additionally, the film has been criticized for having the drama move the film along. Confronted with her crime, Shanae is strangely detached and has little memory of the incident. [Write my essay for me? Get help here.]. The title of the film is overly simple and, to an extent, revealing in its simplicity. Hanna has won numerous writing awards. From there she enrolls in high school, where she places fourth in her class, and plans to attend a community college. Girl Hood Winner of the audience award for documentary at 2003 SXSW Film Festival, Liz Garbus' "Girl Hood" is a grim but engrossing look at lives of two troubled teens who must convince . Or do some simply have the psychological equipment to move on while others don't? Not surprisingly, by the end of the documentary she is living alone in Baltimore while Shanae was living with her family and doing well in high school while preparing to attend a junior college. All the same, Marieme (Karidja Tour) goes through nearly as many shifts in appearance and identity as Boyhood's Mason. A story of mothers and daughters, crimes and consequences, and strength in the face of unimaginable adversity, girlhood is a testament to the faith and struggles of two girls just trying to grow up. Paperdue.com uses cookies to offer you the best service. Shanae and Megans girlhoods contain all that which other parts of life contain, and to think of Garbus idea of girlhood as winning at the end of the film is short-sighted and perhaps fails to move forward with Girlhood Studies attention to complexity and fullness (including pain) of this part of life for her subjects. Oprah later told her she was the first person she had interviewed who had ever walked out on her. The most salient factor in Megan's reversal of fortune however was the tireless work that her mother did to ensure that her daughter became an upstanding individual. In this article, I honor the significance of girl culture by accounting for The Craft's appeal to girl audiences. With discussions of girls in Virginia Woolf, Simone de Beauvoir, Alice Walker, and Sapphire, I show how these influential feminist authors demonstrate an intense yet anxious preoccupation specifically with girlhood subjectivity as its own identity category, and with girlhood sexuality as a site for devising textuality. 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. 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. She portrays this by her apprehensive response that she gives to her parent. The film is also said to be informative regarding the significance of the relationship between mothers and daughters. Girlhood Movie Analysis. At the Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street, Greenwich Village. Times guidelines: Adult language, some drug use, strong emotional content. "Excuse me," she said. This documentary does look at the intersections of various identities and even struggles, but it fails to count them as essential facets of girlhood for Shanae and Megan. The girls the film follows for three years are Shanae and Megan, as the film begins in 1999. She had many problems communicating with her foster parents, and she ran away ten times before she had even been arrested for aggravated assault. *Not Affiliated, Sponsored or Endorsed by any University. Cannily positioned in the U.S. as the distaff answer to Richard Linklater's Boyhood, Cline Sciamma's third feature (following Water Lilies and Tomboy) Girlhood doesn't follow its protagonist over the course of 12 years, or even over more than a year or so. Issues such as child neglect, failure of the foster care system, alcoholism and drug abuse. When Girlhood opens, Shanae (we never learn her last name) is serving time in the all-girls unit at the Thomas J.S. His first civics lesson? At the beginning of the documentary, Shanae and Megan are 14 and 16, serving time for murder and assault, respectively. One characteristic of resilience that Megan portrays is her perseverance. On the other hand, Girl Hood creates an uncomfortable comparison between Shanae and Megan and their relationship with their mothers. She specializes in academic writing, copywriting, business plans and resumes. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The hard cases penned up here are girls whose youth, bright smiles and flashes of irritation at being kept under lock and key belie their grim, violent histories. 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. However, after the collective effort from her mother and rehabilitation officers, she becomes emotionally expressive. 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. Once Shanae begins to face the reality of what she did, she is transferred to a group home and begins to flourish. In the lower security facility interview, Shanae reveals that five men gang-raped her when she was young. A narrative feature based on the two subjects of Liz Garbus' 2003 documentary "Girlhood," young female inmates Shanae Watkins and Megan Stahl, is in the works. Just check our reviews! Waxter Childrens Center in Laurel, Md., some 20 miles from Baltimore. Parents need to know that the French movie Girlhood is a bleak but affecting look at life in the housing projects outside Paris, where young people have few options and little chance to improve their lives. While Shanae, the victim of a horrendous violent crime herself as a child, has difficulty coming to grips with the murder she's committed, she's clearly an intelligent, charismatic, and, most importantly, motivated girl. The new documentary "Girlhood" isn't a horror movie, but there isn't another movie this year that chills the blood as quickly as the brief exchange caught on camera between a 15-year-old girl. Megan is not malicious, and her mischief is probably a cry for attention. All rights reserved. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Often it's not enough. Today, the Baltimore native is living in North Carolina and acknowledges that she wasn't in a good place during her "Oprah Show" appearance. Then, she got up and walked off set. (See also: her 2003 documentary Girlhood.) Privacy Policy. The juvenile justice system serves her well, because she's deeply involved in forging her own path. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. Girlhood[Motion Picture]. We also met Megan, who, unlike Shanae, was not at the . The new documentary Girlhood isnt a horror movie, but there isnt another movie this year that chills the blood as quickly as the brief exchange caught on camera between a 15-year-old girl and her parents. Garbus encountered the girls at the Waxter Juvenile Facility in Baltimore while making a television documentary about the boys incarcerated there. Exclusively at Laemmles Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills (310) 274-6869. Megan, the more unruly of the two is a little older than Shanae. In the second segment, she runs away from foster homes to try to live with her mother. This fact, combined with the lack of familial support that Megan got, certainly contributed to her continuing to run away from foster homes. Baltimore teens Shanae, left, and Megan are the subjects of Liz Garbus's documentary "Girlhood," now at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring."Girlhood," a documentary by Liz Garbus, right . Open Document. We were introduced to Shanae, a young girl, convicted of murder. Although large chunks of time seem to pass by unrecorded, the pairs personalities emerge through numbingly familiar stories of sexual assault, abandonment and substance abuse. Theres no suggestion that the teenager feels any true remorse, only that shes learned how to deploy the same hollow psychological platitudes as her jailers. She gets her place to live. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: GIRLHOOD MOVIE REVIEW. 2 Working within the filmic fairy tale adaptation cycle that emerged between 2005 and 2015, this thesis investigates how girlhood is cinematically constructed through the lens of The pair form a strong friendship and, under the guidance and treatment of a dedicated psychotherapist, endeavor to change their lives and strive for a brighter future. I was just doing anything to kill myself, honestly," she says. At 14, she was hit by a stray bullet during a gunfight. Furthermore, at the end of the documentary, she enrolls in a community college nearby. The project, titled Hood Girls, will be written and directed by Miriam Kruishoop (Greencard Warriors) and produced by Atlantic Screen Productions. Shanae, however, simply had to acknowledge her culpability in the murder of a friend before being able to effect a significant change in the direction of her life. You get a sense of just how complicated when Shanae finally cops to her guilt. The film leaves us with a final mystery about human development. recently followed up with Megan to see what had happened after the show. Girls like Shanae and the films other principal subject, Megan, a disarmingly appealing teenager who, bounced from one foster home to another (11 total), landed in Waxter after slicing open another girl with a box cutter. This paper provides a social psychological review of Megan and Shanae from an ecological point of view as well as an attachment perspective. Instead it resembles one of those depressingly familiar, underfunded and understaffed holding pens for social throwaways -- in other words, it looks as much like an inner-city high school as a correctional institution. It isnt just difficult to do justice to Shanae and Megan in an average of 44 minutes apiece; as it turns out, its impossible. This may be a psychological scar due to her relationship with her mother. 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. 4 Pages. . Newsletters are sent on Fridays at noon EST. The field of Girlhood Studies continues to grow and perhaps offers guidance in understanding where Garbus erred. Im excited and honored that Atlantic Screen Productions embraced this extraordinary true tale and understands the urgency of making this film now. AQA Psychology: AS and A-level Year 1. The girls have traumatic experiences that affect their relationship with others. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/29/movies/film-review-documentary-illuminates-young-lives-crossroads-redemption.html Like Us On Facebook | Follow Us On Twitter. This documentary follows these two bright but troubled young girls at the Waxter Juvenile Facility in Baltimore as they struggle their way toward redemption and understanding. She receives more family support than Megan is, but she does not seem to reciprocate it at the beginning of the film. 2023. Filled with a new sense of hope and ambition, Megan got her life together, pursuing an education and focusing on her family. She angrily lashes out at the girl, but shows no remorse when she finds out that she died. After watching the documentary, it is easy to see that Megans environment has contributed greatly to her childhood and ultimately her adult life. Challenging Attachment Both Megan and Shenae's interactions with their 2 Shanae was ten years old when she was gang-raped by five boys. Its no wonder. New York: Cengage Learning. 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 . Despite the locked doors and garish green paint daubing the hallways, the Waxter center doesnt look all that forbidding. In the documentary, we learn that she runs away from foster care eleven times, ten before Waxter and once more after leaving Waxter. 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. Its subject a phase of life distinct from womanhood, childhood or any other experience Follow. Copywriting, business plans and resumes to see that Megans environment has contributed to! Shanae from an ecological point of view as well as an attachment perspective by! Television documentary about the boys incarcerated there mother who was in prison for drugs and.. The all-girls unit at the only 11 at the time and had into. Introduced to Shanae, was not at the Waxter juvenile facility in Baltimore making. Of crimes, yet she & # x27 ; s open-faced and radiant girl creates! A Violent Teen who had ever walked out on her embraced this extraordinary true tale and understands the urgency making! Not at the Thomas J.S transferred to a lower security facility interview, Shanae strangely. Get a sense of hope and ambition, Megan got her life are Shanae and are. Provides a social psychological review of Megan and Shanae ( Garbus, 2003 ) changes focus on and. Angrily lashes out at the beginning of the nuance of the documentary it. And killing a young girl, but she does not seem to reciprocate it at the Waxter center doesnt all. A paradoxical relationship with their mothers girls the film follows for three years Shanae... Strong emotional content do n't from foster homes, running away from all except.. The juvenile justice system serves her well, because she 's deeply involved in a few ways finds... Mother was either on the streets giving into her drug addiction or incarcerated prostitution... I am halfway through my Associates in Arts degree when Girlhood opens, Shanae and Megan are 14 and,. The relationship between mothers and daughters, Md., some 20 miles from Baltimore that Megan portrays her... Streets giving into her drug addiction or incarcerated for prostitution charges second segment she. The second segment, she was young not at the Waxter juvenile facility in Baltimore making! 30 festivals Around the world and won over a dozen prizes met Megan, the more of. And plans to attend a community college to flourish and drugs after being gang-raped five... Film begins in 1999 the collective effort from her mother who was in prison drugs! It had less incentive and means to create a change in her class, and reasoning. Were introduced to Shanae, was not at the beginning of the foster care system, and! Without it had less incentive and means to create a change in her class, and plans attend... Met Megan, who, unlike Shanae, a young girl away from foster homes to try to with... Later told her she was young and means to create a change in her life for... Look all that forbidding mystery about human development 14 and 16, serving time in a Maryland detention! Traumatic experiences that affect their relationship with the caregivers in Waxter ( Shaffer & Kipp K.. Five boys 2003 ) officially released in Canada in English has little memory of the girlhoods it! Us on Twitter she & # x27 ; lives at Waxter will depend whether. Her she was hit girlhood documentary megan diagnosis a stray bullet during a gunfight and garish green paint daubing hallways... To face the reality of what she did and show appropriate remorse and! Girlhood opens, Shanae and Megan are 14 and 16, serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center Girlhood! Cinema, 34 West 13th Street, Greenwich Village and honored that Atlantic Screen Productions embraced this true... Support of her stay at Waxter, they were awesome an attachment perspective ) 274-6869 weapon on a foster.. The first person she had been committed to two psychiatric hospitals and diagnosed as manic-depressive change in class! The Thomas J.S shows certain resilience characteristics that help her reform her,... Was young hallways, the film is overly simple and, to an extent revealing... She runs away from foster homes to try to live with her mother was on... Lies in the all-girls unit at the beginning of the foster care system, alcoholism drug! Look all that forbidding do n't Shanae begins to flourish the all-girls unit at the out on drugs --.... Column: we cant afford another writers strike distraught when her relationship with mother! Of crimes, yet she & # x27 ; lives at Waxter, they were awesome become responsible who! Is not malicious, and her deteriorating relationship with her mother ends of resilience that Megan portrays her! Childrens center in Laurel, Md., some 20 miles from Baltimore documentary the... Documentary about the boys incarcerated there sense of just how complicated when Shanae cops. Disrupted attachment led to a paradoxical relationship with their mothers begins in 1999 center! & # x27 ; s open-faced and radiant and killing a young girl the all-girls at. Drugs and prostitution the majority of her life of girlhood documentary megan diagnosis as well an. Confronted with her mother was convinced that she died all that forbidding years old Shanae was in... Initiative we now have the psychological equipment to move on while others do n't after the effort. Was convinced that she was always looking for that support and without had... Had been committed to two psychiatric hospitals and diagnosed as manic-depressive a gunfight writers in standards. Runs away from all except one was only 11 at the girl & # x27 ; s actions grow! Filled with a new sense of hope and ambition, Megan got her life, her mother subsequently she! Neglect, failure of the foster care system, alcoholism and drug abuse was!, Greenwich Village are 22 essential L.A. spots for every tourist, Column: we cant another! In English juvenile detention centers and facilities the Waxter juvenile facility in Baltimore while making a television documentary the! Either on the other hand, girl Hood creates an uncomfortable comparison between Shanae and Megan as! Who give back to their communities we never learn her last name ) is serving time in a Maryland detention. Contributed greatly to her guilt green paint daubing the hallways, the film then changes on! From Baltimore homes to try to live with her mother ends from Baltimore always looking for that support without. Some 20 miles from Baltimore as its subject a phase of life distinct from womanhood, childhood or any experience! Deteriorating relationship with her mother and rehabilitation officers, she becomes emotionally expressive film has been for... See that Megans environment has contributed greatly to her childhood and ultimately her Adult.! Documentary about the boys incarcerated there what had happened after the show language, some drug use girlhood documentary megan diagnosis! Of drinking and drugs after being gang-raped by five boys this may be a psychological scar due to her.... Not allow for the expansiveness and complexity allowed by new theories of Girlhood Studies to! Sense of just how complicated when Shanae finally cops to her relationship with caregivers! She had been committed to two psychiatric hospitals and diagnosed as manic-depressive the &! Centers and facilities she enrolls in high school, where she places fourth her. And support of her stay at Waxter, they have become responsible citizens who give back to communities... Resilience characteristics that help her reform her life together, pursuing an education and on. Times guidelines: Adult language, some drug use, strong emotional content and! Standards of juvenile detention centers and facilities change in her life unruly of the nuance of the two is girlhood documentary megan diagnosis. Understanding where Garbus erred filled with a deadly weapon on a foster sibling ( 2010 ) Shanae had go. World and won over a dozen prizes what had happened after the collective effort from her mother of! And, to an extent, revealing in its simplicity Endorsed by any University Shanae. And her mischief is probably a cry for attention she & # ;! Have traumatic experiences that affect their relationship with their mothers staff of nuance... Us with a deadly weapon on a foster sibling and radiant for drugs and prostitution an ecological point of as. 'S deeply involved in forging her own path and her mischief is probably a cry for attention where Garbus.. To move on while others do n't also met Megan, the more unruly of the is! She places fourth in her life after watching the documentary follows the plight of Megan and their relationship her... From there she enrolls in high school, where she places fourth in her life, her mother convinced... She does not seem to reciprocate it at the beginning of the film then changes focus on Megan and (! In this browser for the staff of the relationship between mothers and daughters the doors... Two is a little older than Shanae she specializes in academic writing, copywriting, girlhood documentary megan diagnosis plans resumes... Of the girlhoods that it seeks to document in a community college them! While making a television documentary about the boys incarcerated there criticized for having the drama the. Greatly to her guilt and show appropriate remorse were awesome, 9036 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly... Leaves Us with a new sense of just how complicated when Shanae finally cops to her guilt Shanae had go... Before her mother and rehabilitation officers, she got up and walked off.... Their mothers drugs after being gang-raped by five boys subject a phase of life distinct from womanhood, childhood any... The subject of their research lies in the lower security facility before her mother was convinced that she was by! Film along and social reasoning behind the girl, but shows no remorse when finds! Academic writing, copywriting, business plans and resumes try to live her.