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. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. 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. Anyone can read what you share. Megan admits to having a special relationship with a fellow inmate which seems to be of a romantic nature. By end fil There are a number of reasons for why Shanae was able to turn her life around whereas Megan was not. With its drab green walls and sparse furnishings, Waxter is no country club. At 14, she was hit by a stray bullet during a gunfight. Second, she is distressed when her mother leaves. The 16-year-old Shanae was placed in the Florence Crittenton Group home and the slightly older Megan was rewarded for trying to run away by gaining her official freedom. Girl Hood was released in 2003 and since then has won many awards. 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. That was 11 years ago. How is Megan Jensen from Girlhood doing I just saw the film and was really. "I'm happy now.". Mary Celeste Kearney writes that in approaching girlhood, sociological research, interestingly, often focused on female juvenile delinquency. In recent years, however, Girlhood Studies has grown to include and account for multiple narratives of girlhood, and actively attempts not to make girlhood inferior to womanhood, or take it less seriously. Then, she got up and walked off set. She perseveres through challenges in life. "I just lost all respect for myself," she says. The system essentially gives up on trying to control her and turns her loose to fend for herself. The lack of a proper support system is evident because she does not achieve as much as Shanae who does not falter when her mother dies. [Write my essay for me? Get help here.]. Unlike Megan, who ends up bitter, Shanae has a positive outlook that things will become better. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.This Documentary/Film \"Girlhood\" is not for any personal financial profit or gain to TheeSymphony'sCulture Channel, but instead only for educational purposes and cultural research. The documentary Girlhood follows the lives of two girls, Shanae and Megan, from 1999-2002, during and shortly after their release from Waxter Juvenile Facility in Maryland. Even though her parent is giving her support, she was still scared of Shanae. Megan also leaves Waxter. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. 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. And now I'm doing this film about a little girl, and in many ways she's a precursor to Megan. Megan, we are told, has been in 11 foster houses by the age of 16. I think this movie proves this country gives children nothing but lip service. ''Girlhood,'' which follows Shanae and Megan over three years beginning in 1999, doesn't pretend that a place like Waxter can hope to do the job by itself. 5 Pages. Garbus followed Shanaes suggestion and was determined to include her in her film. This film is not rated. In class we watched the video Girlhood. It indicates that she is wary of strangers (Garbus, 2003). Additionally, the film has also been criticized for ignoring the workers at Waxter. However, her mother is a struggling drug addict who is unable to offer the care and support that she required. Garbus rigidity in framing the girls experiences does not allow for the expansiveness and complexity allowed by new theories of girlhood. Shanaes development has been disrupted. As a child, her mother was absent. How A Violent Teen Who Had Given Up On Life Turned It All Around. 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. Both Megan and Shanae share similar viewpoints for example, they mention that their role model is . http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/girlhood But if the viewer pays close attention to the film and Liz Garbus commentary we learn that Shanaes mother was a single parent working two jobs trying to support Shanae and move her family out of the projects. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/girlhood-subjects-get-narrative-feature-829762 recently followed up with Megan to see what had happened after the show. Lock 'em up and keep them off the streets is the familiar cry. After her release, 19-year-old Megan appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" alongside another troubled teen, Shanae. She has a total of two children and she has graduated from college. We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. 794 Words. 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 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. Megan flounders around for a while and is eventually sent to another foster home, which doesn't work out. So what will be the fate of Shanae and Megan when they leave Waxter? As a left-wing filmmaker, she worried that this appeared to be some sort of right-wing Family Values advocate conclusion. 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. Shanae moves into a lower security halfway house because her mother does not feel ready to take her back home. 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. girlhood tells the story of Shanae Owensand Megan Jensen. You watch Megan go from being a silly little girl at Waxter to being a bitter, angry and hard woman so quickly that you cant help but be reminded of Mr. Godseys point about these girls needing structure. [ClickEssay Writerto order your essay]. Girl Hood has been praised for its informative content and for raising awareness on a number of issues young people in detention centers face on a daily basis and how their lives lead to a life similar to their parents. Why is Shanae in the juvenile facility? The documentary follows the plight of Megan and Shanae (Garbus, 2003). New York: Cengage Learning. Interviews. The film pivots from the girls to their relationships with their moms, as Garbus follows their development from girls into young ladies. "I am halfway through my Associates in Arts degree. Thankfully, her parents point out that being dead is definitely WORSE than being in detention! This confused young girl ran away from ten foster homes and wound up attacking another . The majority of her life, her mother was either on the streets giving into her drug addiction or incarcerated for prostitution charges. Copyright 2006 - 2023 by CIStems, Inc., d.b.a. The girls have traumatic experiences that affect their relationship with others. 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. Shanae was ten years old when she was gang-raped by five boys. At one point, Megan states that she feels that she is an old woman trapped in a young womans body because she has so much to regret. Megan admits that when she leaves Waxter she will only be going back to another foster home. A lot of this seems due in part to her mother Antoinettes support. Megan Jensen is doing very well in life. In the lower security facility interview, Shanae reveals that five men gang-raped her when she was young. Before starting the film girlhood, she actually meant to do a film about young men in juvenile detention centres because from her work on the film Angola, she was intrigued and disturbed by how many of the inmates there said they had learned the tricks of their trade from their experiences in juvenile detention. 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. airs Sundays at 9 p.m. Our company is proud to host more than 80 of North Americas best essay writers. Additionally, she still struggles after growing up, but she ensures that she never becomes an addict (Garbus, 2003). The girls as well as their moms were open and seemed to not hold back their emotions for the camera, with Megan a virtual basket case of excitability and the childish Shanae changing for the better as she matures. Girlhood focuses on the life of two young juveniles, Shanae Owens and Megan Jensen both incarcerated for violent crimes. 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. So the question is to what degree do we all have to support children whose families cant? The film then narrows its focus to concentrate on the lives of two teenagers, Shanae Owens and Megan Jensen, both incarcerated for assault at the Waxter Juvenile Facility in Baltimore. With the help of her mother, Shanae can graduate from high school. 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. The film opens with the title card, In the United States, during the last decade, the number of young girls committing violent crimes has more than doubled. Megan was shuffled through 11 different foster homes, running away from all except one. 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. Furthermore, at the end of the documentary, she enrolls in a community college nearby. "I decided to change some of my ways because I didn't want the system raising my child," she says. 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. As Oprah questioned Megan about her current situation and plans for the future, the teen grew visibly agitated. 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 . Shanaes ability to feel remorse for her actions is seen as a key benchmark that needs to be achieved before she can leave Waxter. Shanae even overcomes the death of her mom three months later from a heart attack and goes on to graduate from a public high school and enroll in a community college. 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. Similarly, she seems to suffer from ambivalent attachment because she is always distressed when she is unable to receive affirmations from 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. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. 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. 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. We are introduced to them while they are incarcerated in Waxter Juvenile Detention Center, just outside of Baltimore, Maryland. . By what name was Girlhood (2003) officially released in Canada in English? Documentary chronicling America's justice system. New York: Psychology Press. I believe that you cant examine this increasing youth crime problem among girls without studying how the capitalist system effects social conditions. "I started using cocaine, I was strung out on drugs -- bad. But its staff emerges as a caring if overstressed group of people who do what they can to steer the girls in their charge toward a productive life. 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. She demonstrates that you can support and love your child while not making excuses for them. ''Girlhood'' is the newest entry in Ms. Garbus's long list of socially concerned documentaries made for theaters and television. But one is left wondering how this silly girl took it upon herself to attack another young woman with a box cutter (the main reason why she is locked up). As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. During this scene Megan whines that nobody loves her, she seems to be half joking but one has to wonder. The juvenile justice system serves her well, because she's deeply involved in forging her own path. 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. 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). Your email address will not be published. So the films have been very organically connected. AMCTheatres.com or AMC App New. For example, once the girls are out of Waxter, we see Shanae is doing well in school and even goes to her prom. Second, Shanae develops a positive outlook. Wake up to the day's most important news. By age 10, she had been committed to two psychiatric hospitals and diagnosed as manic-depressive. Part of HuffPost News. She had lived in an environment that was full of disruption. 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. The film is told from the girls subjective viewpoint and plays as a coming of age story. Strength-Based Approaches As she grows up, she realizes that she cannot rely on anyone and starts to take better care or herself. For example, the filmmaker emphasizes Shanaes growth since leaving Waxter. However, Garbus suggests that this is due to the lack of adequate recreational activities in Waxter (Garbus, 2003). The documentary "Girlhood" follows the lives of two girls, Shanae and Megan, from 1999-2002, during and shortly after their release from Waxter Juvenile Facility in Maryland. Because the film does not incorporate the juvenile system that fails Megan and others like her, the focus of the film becomes on the distinction between mothers who neglect their children and mothers who do not. Shanae and Megan both experienced similar circumstances that yielded different outcomes. Find help here.]. First, she has goals and aspirations. 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. I have three lovely kids," she says. Megan, the more unruly of the two is a little older than Shanae. "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.". She is also silly and childish which is what you expect for a girl her age. Shanae was arrested for murder at the age of 12, after stabbing a friend to death. Garbus follows Shanae and Megan over a three-year period as they move through the juvenile system, struggle with mixed feelings toward their mothers, comment on the efforts of the staff to set them on the straight and narrow, and try to cope with the changes in their lives. But Garbus way of humanizing, in some instances, obfuscates the complexity of struggle, survival and the bad from the girls girlhood. The films protagonists, Megan Jensen and Shanae Watkins. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/29/movies/film-review-documentary-illuminates-young-lives-crossroads-redemption.html 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. Having been abandoned by her mother, with whom she has a very complicated relationship, Megan is desperate for attention and affection. The documentary Girlhood offers an insight on the emotional, psychological, and social reasoning behind the girl's actions. This presumption is damaging because ultimately Garbus makes uncomplicated subjects of the girls. One characteristic of resilience that Megan portrays is her perseverance. 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. Her future appears shaky. But the reality is that Shanae, because of the support of her family, is able to overcome the trauma of her childhood and the impact of her crime and graduate from high school and go on to community college whereas Megan, without really any family support, is only able to struggle, her greatest achievement being that she doesnt return to crime or become a hardcore drug addict. The film is also said to be informative regarding the significance of the relationship between mothers and daughters. We were introduced to Shanae, a young girl, convicted of murder. She tries to reach out to her mother multiple times despite being disappointed numerous times. 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. 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. Its no wonder. Shanae started drinking with her cousin. In the beginning, Shanae is not remorseful for committing murder (Garbus, 2003). She receives more family support than Megan is, but she does not seem to reciprocate it at the beginning of the film. This may be a psychological scar due to her relationship with her mother. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The field of Girlhood Studies continues to grow and perhaps offers guidance in understanding where Garbus erred. 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. ~ (Source: Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide). However, the film ignores their concerns regarding the young girls and regarding the system. These girls are the subjects of Liz Garbus' documentary, Girlhood. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. Shanae, an African-American who has been at Waxter for two years when the film begins, was sent there after stabbing a girl to death in a knife fight. Abruptly, she halted the conversation. 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. Even though her mother has a problem with drugs and prostitution, she is distressed when she does not receive visits or calls from her. This paper provides a social psychological review of Megan and Shanae from an ecological point of view as well as an attachment perspective. Both girls ended up in the Waxter Juvenile Facility, home to Maryland's most violent offenders.Academy Award nominated director Liz Garbus follows Shanae and Megan for the next three years, as they try to make a life for themselves both inside and outside of Baltimore's juvenile justice system. Gender Roles In The Film Girlhood. Megan, the other young offender continues to practise delinquent . Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. Both of the girls have been in the system for years, Megan has been in and out of juvenile detention centers and foster homes for years and is . Second, she is unable to regulate her emotions (Garbus, 2003). 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. One may wonder how Antoinette could be a good parent considering all the trouble Shanae got into at such a young age. She portrays this by her apprehensive response that she gives to her parent. Girlhood was shown at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival and at the South by Southwest Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. Like Us On Facebook | Follow Us On Twitter. From there she enrolls in high school, where she places fourth in her class, and plans to attend a community college. She was there as a member of the community and Shanae was a child of the community and therefore her child. "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" This problem has been solved! 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. Impact of Trauma Antoinette does her best in extremely difficult circumstances. Garbus, L. (Director). 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 . One of the most educational parts of the film I felt was the example set by Antoinette. She is briefly reunited with her mother but cannot forgive her for not being there when she needed her most. She is a very smart girl who rejoices when given a chance to move on to another facility and then return home to her father and mother. Press ESC to cancel. Running time: 88 minutes. In my own opinion, considering that Megan has to do all this on her own, hers is the greater achievement. Required fields are marked *. Megan on the other hand, has a more difficult time staying out of trouble and maintaining good grades. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. What Shows Have Been Renewed or Canceled. 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. Sometimes, it is members of our own families that expose our children to drugs and alcohol, something I have often seen growing up in my own neighbourhood. 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. She is often well behaved, but she still shows bouts of mischief. 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. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Last night I watched a documentary called, GIRLHOOD based on two young girls in the Baltimore juvenile detention center, Waxter. Other aspects reveal themselves when she grows older. In this field, deadlines are super important. The second part of Garbus film follows Shanae and Megans lives 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. Liz Garbus has made other films about life in prison, such as the Academy Award Winning The Farm: Angola. To think that one out of two might have straightened out her life, is not saying that the system works. What was particularly sad was the uninspired rehabilitation measures tried by the staff at Waxter, as the girls received little help that was useful and seemed to be going buggy in an atmosphere where the staff might have been decent but were certainly clueless on how to treat the girls. 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. Excerpt from Essay : Girlhood juvenile delinquents, Shanae Megan, Waxter Juvenile Facility Maryland. Additionally, the film has been criticized for having the drama move the film along. In the film's most compelling scenes Megan confronts Vernessa, who has been released from prison and who professes her love and determination to be an anchor for her daughter. Over the years, Megan has run away from most of her foster homes in a desperate attempt to reunite with her mother. The film will center on two prisoners serving. Your email address will not be published. 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. At 17, she was living in her own apartment in a druggie neighborhood. At the Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street, Greenwich Village. Required fields are marked *, College Essay Examples | October 19, 2018. 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 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.
My Girlfriend Is 20 Years Older Than Me,
Baseball Tournaments In Georgia 2022,
Strange Facts About Rh Negative Blood,
Schneider National Employee Handbook,
Articles G