CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. --"Thirteen" is the lucky number for an indie distributor with enough smarts and savvy to market this powerfully touching family story. A hit on the festival circuit, this gem played to enthusiastic acclaim at the Virginia Film Festival, delighting the college-town crowd and serious film buffs.
The early teens are always a tricky transition for kids. It's at Nina's (Wilhamenia Dickens) 13th birthday that filmmaker David Williams takes us into this budding woman's uneasy steps into the adult world. Even by the difficult standards of preteen/teenage behavior, Nina is, well, a bit of a challenge. It takes the wisdom of Solomon, or better yet, the stoic love of her mother, Lillian (Lillian Folley), to unravel Nina's enigmatic, strong-headed ways.
No sooner has Nina blithely blown out the candles on her birthday cake than she heads for the hills -- literally and figuratively. Her unexplained and seemingly unmotivated disappearances scare the bejesus out of her mother and friends. Indeed, Nina has not gone off to ponder any teenage crisis or wallow in any introspective jag, she has merely gone to curl up in the leaves where she comes to the concise conclusion that it's cold out there on the mountaintop. Wonderfully, like Walt Whitman, Nina comes back from her leaf bed with a revitalized look at her world. But unlike the free-form poet, her epiphany is more grounded -- she has resolved to purchase a car. It's a logical step, as cars have always been her passion.
Subtle but juiced with the flavors of human inconsistency and surprise, "Thirteen" is a magical movie that resonates far beyond the dimensions of its story line. Nearly fablelike in its pristine and earthy simplicity, this fine film depicts the strains and strengths of a tightly bound love between a mother and daughter at a time when the pangs of adolescence and rambunctious wonder can all too easily ruin a family.
Played by actors and nonactors, "Thirteen" bounds with unforced human lyricism. You might recall producer-writer-director-cinematographer-editor Williams' 1992 film "Lillian"; the story of the mother in this film and her struggles to keep her extended family together was one of that year's best indie films.
Folley once again plays herself, and it's an unvarnished, straight-on "performance." We see that Lillian is a weary woman and wise survivor, and her droll disciplinary ways are just the thing for a "confused" teenager. As Nina, nonactress Dickens is a flat-out, unaffected delight. She's got just enough attitude to make her a pill, but she's also overflowing with a goodness and honesty that you can't help admiring.
To say this was made on a shoestring budget assumes that it was gussied up with the little caps on the ends of the strings. It truly wasn't, and Williams' resourcefulness, talent and -- way above all else -- spry and kindly heart, have made "Thirteen" a movie well worth remembering in this otherwise forgettable film year.
THIRTEEN
Bellevue Films
A film by David Williams
Credits: Producer-director-screenwriter-cinematographer-editor: David Williams; Music: Shep Williams, Cecil Hooker, Carlos Garza; Sound: Bernice Baker, Mark Ching. Cast: Nina: Wilhamenia Dickens; Lillian: Lillian Folley. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 87 minutes.
The early teens are always a tricky transition for kids. It's at Nina's (Wilhamenia Dickens) 13th birthday that filmmaker David Williams takes us into this budding woman's uneasy steps into the adult world. Even by the difficult standards of preteen/teenage behavior, Nina is, well, a bit of a challenge. It takes the wisdom of Solomon, or better yet, the stoic love of her mother, Lillian (Lillian Folley), to unravel Nina's enigmatic, strong-headed ways.
No sooner has Nina blithely blown out the candles on her birthday cake than she heads for the hills -- literally and figuratively. Her unexplained and seemingly unmotivated disappearances scare the bejesus out of her mother and friends. Indeed, Nina has not gone off to ponder any teenage crisis or wallow in any introspective jag, she has merely gone to curl up in the leaves where she comes to the concise conclusion that it's cold out there on the mountaintop. Wonderfully, like Walt Whitman, Nina comes back from her leaf bed with a revitalized look at her world. But unlike the free-form poet, her epiphany is more grounded -- she has resolved to purchase a car. It's a logical step, as cars have always been her passion.
Subtle but juiced with the flavors of human inconsistency and surprise, "Thirteen" is a magical movie that resonates far beyond the dimensions of its story line. Nearly fablelike in its pristine and earthy simplicity, this fine film depicts the strains and strengths of a tightly bound love between a mother and daughter at a time when the pangs of adolescence and rambunctious wonder can all too easily ruin a family.
Played by actors and nonactors, "Thirteen" bounds with unforced human lyricism. You might recall producer-writer-director-cinematographer-editor Williams' 1992 film "Lillian"; the story of the mother in this film and her struggles to keep her extended family together was one of that year's best indie films.
Folley once again plays herself, and it's an unvarnished, straight-on "performance." We see that Lillian is a weary woman and wise survivor, and her droll disciplinary ways are just the thing for a "confused" teenager. As Nina, nonactress Dickens is a flat-out, unaffected delight. She's got just enough attitude to make her a pill, but she's also overflowing with a goodness and honesty that you can't help admiring.
To say this was made on a shoestring budget assumes that it was gussied up with the little caps on the ends of the strings. It truly wasn't, and Williams' resourcefulness, talent and -- way above all else -- spry and kindly heart, have made "Thirteen" a movie well worth remembering in this otherwise forgettable film year.
THIRTEEN
Bellevue Films
A film by David Williams
Credits: Producer-director-screenwriter-cinematographer-editor: David Williams; Music: Shep Williams, Cecil Hooker, Carlos Garza; Sound: Bernice Baker, Mark Ching. Cast: Nina: Wilhamenia Dickens; Lillian: Lillian Folley. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 87 minutes.
- 12/1/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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