In 2003, Catherine Hardwicke’s (Twilight) directorial debut, Thirteen, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film starred Evan Rachel Wood as Tracy, a 13-year-old in Southern California who befriends the popular Evie (Nikki Reed) and begins dabbling in drugs, alcohol, and crime. 

Co-written by Hardwicke and then-14-year-old Reed, based on the teen’s real-life experiences, the script was crafted in only six days. When the film was released, it was every parent’s nightmare and generated a ton of controversy because of the situations depicted in the film. However, it was well received by critics and garnered award nominations for Wood and Holly Hunter, who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance as Tracy’s mom, Melanie. 

Where can I watch Thirteen?

Stream it on Netflix now. 

Who’s in the cast of Thirteen?

• Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) as Tracy, a teenager who befriends Evie
• Nikki Reed (the Twilight series) as Evie, a troubled popular girl
• Holly Hunter (The Piano) as Melanie, Tracy’s mom
• Jeremy Sisto (Six Feet Under) as Brady, Melanie’s boyfriend
• Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) as Mason, Tracy’s brother
• Deborah Kara Unger (Silent Hill) as Brooke
• Kip Pardue (Remember the Titans) as Luke
• Sarah Clarke (Twilight) as Birdie
• D. W. Moffett (Switched at Birth) as Travis
• Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical, The Princess Switch), in her film debut, as Noel

What happens in Thirteen?

Tracy (Wood) is a mild-mannered, 13-year-old seventh grader who lives with her recovering alcoholic mother, Melanie (Hunter), and older brother, Mason (Corbet), in Los Angeles. Tracy hates her mother’s boyfriend, Brady (Sisto), and everyone in her life is too busy to notice her increasing depression.

She’s entranced by her popular classmate Evie (Reed), who she befriends after impressing her by stealing a random woman’s wallet. Tracy integrates herself into Evie’s world, which is full of sex, drugs, and petty crimes. Melanie recognizes a dramatic change in Tracy’s personality as the girls’ friendship becomes increasingly toxic and harmful to Tracy’s life and growing depression. 

Is Thirteen based on a true story?

Hardwicke, who went on to direct Twilight, met Reed when Reed was a young girl and Hardwicke had been in a relationship with Reed’s father. The two wrote the script over six days, and it was loosely autobiographical from Reed’s early teen years. 

In 2023, for the 20th anniversary of the film, Reed reflected on co-writing the script as a teen. “I was just a kid, and so I grew up as the world was watching this film,” Reed told Rolling Stone. “Maybe I would describe those experiences being more cathartic, as opposed to the writing process. I was unaware when we were writing that there was anything being processed at the time.”

Where does Thirteen take place?

Thirteen takes place in Los Angeles. 

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