girlhood documentary megan diagnosis

Abandoned by her mother, a heroin addict turned prostitute, Megan ran away from then different foster homes before being arrested on assault charges. Both Megan and Shanae share similar viewpoints for example, they mention that their role model is . We were introduced to Shanae, a young girl, convicted of murder. That was 11 years ago. These girls are the subjects of Liz Garbus' documentary, Girlhood. The film will center on two prisoners serving. She responded by drinking and drugging, and then at age 12, graduated to murder. In my own opinion, considering that Megan has to do all this on her own, hers is the greater achievement. The relationship between staff and the young girls is also essential to how the girls grow and move forward with their lives. Abruptly, she halted the conversation. Garbus, L. (Director). When she grows older, it is clear that she is still affected by the feeling of neglect and she believes nobody is looking out for her interest (Garbus, 2003). Female Teenage BFF Inmates From Liz Garbus' Doc 'Girlhood' to Get Movie 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. At Waxter, Megans need for attention and affection, her vulnerablity, are on display for everyone to see. Girlhood (2003) - Plot - IMDb FILM; A Filmmaker Who Chooses to Live Behind Bars 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! Garbus rigidity in framing the girls experiences does not allow for the expansiveness and complexity allowed by new theories of girlhood. (2003). Megan is 16 and is in Waxter for Assault with a deadly weapon. 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. Garbus, director of the acclaimed prison documentary, The Farm: Angola, USA, examines the disparate fates of these girls and their very different treatment at the hands of the juvenile justice system. This is the latest feature-length non-fiction film from documentarian Liz Garbus, who has spotlighted imprisonment in 2002's "The Execution of Wanda June" and the 1998 Oscar-nominee "The Farm: Angola USA." As with those two films, "Girlhood" looks at the incarceration of violent-crime offenders. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. 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. When she originally returned to Baltimore, Megan's life went downhill. Interviews. She's Got Moxie: Liz Garbus on "Girlhood" and Lives - IndieWire Filled with a new sense of hope and ambition, Megan got her life together, pursuing an education and focusing on her family. 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. Part of HuffPost News. 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. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. They both received open-ended sentences and their release depends on their current jail behavior. In contrast to Shanaes successes, when out of Waxter, Megan soon runs away from her foster home with no consequences (despite the fact that staying in foster care is a requirement of her patrol), couch surfs for a while and eventually gets her own place with her cousin. 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. 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. This presumption is damaging because ultimately Garbus makes uncomplicated subjects of the girls. But not everyone has families like this. Shanae was arrested for murder at the age of 12, after stabbing a friend to death. By Kate Durbin 07/14/2021. Documentary looks at girlhood violence - Deseret News 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). "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" Megan, we are told, has been in 11 foster houses by the age of 16. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The domain that best explains Megans attachment issues is the ambivalent/resistant attachment. In the documentary "Girlhood, " the two main characters Shanae I think this movie proves this country gives children nothing but lip service. 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. 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. 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. Like Us On Facebook | Follow Us On Twitter. When Megans mom got released from jail, she even lived there for awhile. Feb 26th, 2022 Published. As she grows up, she realizes that she cannot rely on anyone and starts to take better care or herself. 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. The film then changes focus on Megan and her deteriorating relationship with her mother. The length of her stay at Waxter will depend on whether she can acknowledge what she did and show appropriate remorse. At 14, she was hit by a stray bullet during a gunfight. "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.". Shanaes development has been disrupted. she has come a long way from this documentry i love and am so proud of my sistrr. The title of the film is overly simple and, to an extent, revealing in its simplicity. Is it maternal nurturing that makes the difference? The film pivots from the girls to their relationships with their moms, as Garbus follows their development from girls into young ladies. With the girls going nowhere at Waxter, they were given a new lease on life by changing facilities. The film leaves us with a final mystery about human development. 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!). Often it's not enough. 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. As a left-wing filmmaker, she worried that this appeared to be some sort of right-wing Family Values advocate conclusion. With its drab green walls and sparse furnishings, Waxter is no country club. 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. Girlhood Film Analysis - 794 Words | Studymode 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. By what name was Girlhood (2003) officially released in Canada in English? 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. Step-by-step explanation. 005BroylesDocumentary.docx - EDPY 303.005 Dr. Armstrong 08 Shanaes ability to feel remorse for her actions is seen as a key benchmark that needs to be achieved before she can leave Waxter. She had lived in an environment that was full of disruption. Similarly, she seems to suffer from ambivalent attachment because she is always distressed when she is unable to receive affirmations from her mother. Shaffer, D. R., & Kipp, K. (2010). She gave birth to a daughter and moved to North Carolina in an effort to start anew. Megan Terry, Feminist Playwright and Rock Musical Innovator, Dies at 90 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. New York: Cengage Learning. 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. The number of girls incarcerated for violent crimes is on the rise. Megan is 16 and is in Waxter for Assault with a deadly weapon. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/girlhood 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. It is also quite clear that the staff at Waxter have a special affection for her despite her antics. Girlhood[Motion Picture]. In the documentary, she is always trying to contact either the mother or the grandmother. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. [ClickEssay Writerto order your essay]. Spirituality & Practice. 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. To come to those safe conclusions is something that no one in their right mind would argue, but it really doesnt get to the heart of what has gone wrong in this affluent country that has so many children in trouble with the Man. Early in the film it is apparent that Shanae doesnt really feel remorseful for the murder of her friend. 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. Unfortunately, this meant that she wasnt around to supervise Shanae. 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. 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. She tries to reach out to her mother multiple times despite being disappointed numerous times. 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. One may wonder how Antoinette could be a good parent considering all the trouble Shanae got into at such a young age. My Essay Writerwas started by an award-winning journalist who saw the need from students to have someone take care of their annoying assignments for them. 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. 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. One of the most educational parts of the film I felt was the example set by Antoinette. Your email address will not be published. The relationship between staff and the young women at Waxter is for the most part warm and friendly. The system essentially gives up on trying to control her and turns her loose to fend for herself. 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. So the films have been very organically connected. 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 . 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. The other protagonist is Megan, a troublesome mixed race teen who has a tattoo going up her right arm and is always giggly thinking everything is not serious. ''GIRLHOOD,'' a new documentary, is a poignant and often distressing look at the lives of two teenage girls, inmates at the Thomas J. S. Waxter Children's Center for juvenile detention near Baltimore. She then had to go about getting permission to film. http://sites.google.com/view/ehdwjwbxfu/linkedlist-member-modification-c, Your email address will not be published. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. Its no wonder. 4 Pages. ''Girlhood, which was shot in 16 millimeter, is a bare-bones affair, as spare as the juvenile institution in which much of it was filmed. 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. The girls the film follows for three years are Shanae and Megan, as the film begins in 1999. 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. Liz Garbus has made other films about life in prison, such as the Academy Award Winning The Farm: Angola. During this scene Megan whines that nobody loves her, she seems to be half joking but one has to wonder. FILM REVIEW; A Documentary Illuminates Young Lives at the Crossroads of 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. At 14, she was hit by a stray bullet during a gunfight. Megan also shows that she has self-efficacy. Once Shanae begins to face the reality of what she did, she is transferred to a group home and begins to flourish. In the second segment, she runs away from foster homes to try to live with her mother. She is briefly reunited with her mother but cannot forgive her for not being there when she needed her most. GIRLHOOD - Dennis Schwartz Reviews To think that one out of two might have straightened out her life, is not saying that the system works. 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. Your email address will not be published. Documentary chronicling America's justice system. The disrupted attachment led to a paradoxical relationship with the caregivers in Waxter (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010). Shanae's reentry into society was easy, and she does not seem to be struggling in any way. We are introduced to them while they are incarcerated in Waxter Juvenile Detention Center, just outside of Baltimore, Maryland. Hanna has won numerous writing awards. 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. 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. 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. Copyright 2006 - 2023 by CIStems, Inc., d.b.a. 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. Having been abandoned by her mother, with whom she has a very complicated relationship, Megan is desperate for attention and affection. Dennis Schwartz: Ozus World Movie Reviews, Copyright 2023 - Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews. She was there as a member of the community and Shanae was a child of the community and therefore her child. In one of the scenes, she even says that no one loves her. However, the film ignores their concerns regarding the young girls and regarding the system. Girlhood Worksheet Please complete this worksheet based on the film Girlhood. The juvenile justice system serves her well, because she's deeply involved in forging her own path. 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. The extent of Garbus access to the girls while in detention is remarkable (she states that she eventually had keys to the inside of the Waxter facility because the staff got tired of her and her crews constant requests to get into different rooms). Megan Jensen is doing very well in life. 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. Finally, she becomes distraught when her relationship with her mother ends. Developmental Psychology: Childhood & Adolescence: Childhood and Adolescence. http://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-14-et-girlhood14-story.html, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/29/movies/film-review-documentary-illuminates-young-lives-crossroads-redemption.html, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/girlhood-subjects-get-narrative-feature-829762, http://sites.google.com/view/ehdwjwbxfu/linkedlist-member-modification-c, this dissertation provides a compelling argument. The documentary Girlhood offers an insight on the emotional, psychological, and social reasoning behind the girl's actions. Impact of Trauma 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. A Conversation with Megan Milks and Marisa Crawford - BLARB Other aspects reveal themselves when she grows older. Shanae moves into a lower security halfway house because her mother does not feel ready to take her back home. Girlhood (2003) - IMDb It is a sign of her resiliency that she manages to handle a tragedy that would have unsettled more wobbly teenagers. http://articles.latimes.com/2003/nov/14/entertainment/et-girlhood14, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1514431. Your email address will not be published. New York: Psychology Press. ~ (Source: Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide). 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. 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. Our company is proud to host more than 80 of North Americas best essay writers. Just check our reviews! It is during Shanaes interview to get into the lower security facility that we learn that she was also gang raped by five men. 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. 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. 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. However, after the collective effort from her mother and rehabilitation officers, she becomes emotionally expressive. Megan, the more unruly of the two is a little older than Shanae. At the beginning of the documentary, Shanae and Megan are 14 and 16, serving time for murder and assault, respectively. Girlhood was shown at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival and at the South by Southwest Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. T he 'Girlhood' documentary highlights the plight of girls in juvenile centers with some psychological disorders. Additionally, the film has been criticized for having the drama move the film along. Shanae Owens and Megan Jensen in girlhood. For example, once the girls are out of Waxter, we see Shanae is doing well in school and even goes to her prom. Megan had given up, and even ended up back in jail. She specializes in academic writing, copywriting, business plans and resumes. Additionally, she still struggles after growing up, but she ensures that she never becomes an addict (Garbus, 2003). Girlhood misses some of the nuance of the girlhoods that it seeks to document in a few ways. Unlike Megan, who ends up bitter, Shanae has a positive outlook that things will become better. Open Document. The majority of her life, her mother was either on the streets giving into her drug addiction or incarcerated for prostitution charges. The girls crimes obviously color their experiences of girlhood, but they are humanized by Garbus editorial choices through camera angles, the stories we hear, the presentation of various sympathetic or irresponsible adults that accessorize and control the girls lives. But Vernessa quickly reverts to her old ways, and the scenes of Megan viciously berating her mother for her failures are painful to watch. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Megan is doing great for herself But while researching junvenile detention centres she met Shanae who suggested that she make a film about girls. After watching the documentary, it is easy to see that Megans environment has contributed greatly to her childhood and ultimately her adult life. AQA Psychology: AS and A-level Year 1. Be sure to answer all parts to each question. Girlhood focuses on the life of two young juveniles, Shanae Owens and Megan Jensen both incarcerated for violent crimes. This confused young girl ran away from ten foster homes and wound up attacking another girl with a box-cutter. 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. Megan, the more unruly of the two is a little older than Shanae. 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. What Shows Have Been Renewed or Canceled. 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. 794 Words. This problem has been solved! Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. Thankfully, her parents point out that being dead is definitely WORSE than being in detention! This leads to her eventual rehabilitation from delinquency. Everything is "for the children"; however, this is powerful evidence to the contrary. 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. 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.
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