Freedom Writers (2007)

An excellent movie. Erin Gruwell (Hillary Swank)is a fresh young teacher. She starts her career at Wilson High in Long Beach, California shortly after the LA riots of 1992. Wilson was once one of the best schools in the district but it has degraded significantly in just a few short years. Erin is given the grunt job of teaching freshman and sophomore English. She soon learns that her job is not quite what she expected. She has no help from the administration and the students are not interested in learning. Her students have no motivation because they have been told their entire lives that they are not worthy of an education and that they will never amount to anything in life. They have turned to gangs because that is their only way to survive. Erin begins to slowly win their respect by showing them that they can be better and they are not worthless. Eventually they begin writing their stories in a journal which eventually becomes the book this movie was based upon.

This was a very touching and terrific movie. Swank was wonderful as the naive teacher who becomes a hero. It is also a very difficult film to watch. It was so sad to see the administration at that school who did not care about these kids. They were so immune to the plight that they became part of the problem. Unfortunately I think this happens in the American school system more than we realize. Make sure you bring some tissues with you because this movie will make most people cry.