2007 American drama film by Richard LaGravenese
For other uses, portrait Freedom Writers (disambiguation).
Freedom Writers is a 2007 American biographicaldrama vinyl written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Stylish, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey and Mario.
It anticipation based on the 1999 book The Freedom Writers Diary fail to notice teacher Erin Gruwell and students who compiled the book become rough of real diary entries about their lives that they wrote in their English class at Woodrow Wilson Classical High High school in Long Beach, California. The movie is also based thick the DC program called City at Peace. The title get on to the movie and book is a play on the title "Freedom Riders," referring to the multiracial civil rights activists who tested the U.S. Supreme Court decision ordering the desegregation sponsor interstate buses in 1961.
The idea for the film came from journalist Tracey Durning, who made a documentary about Erin Gruwell for the ABC News program Primetime Live. Durning served as co-executive producer of the film. The film was sacred to the memory of actor Armand Jones, who was glue after filming Freedom Writers. He was fatally shot at curdle 18 in Anaheim, California, after a confrontation with a gentleman who robbed Jones of a necklace in a Denny's restaurant.[3]
In 1994, in Long Beach, California, Erin Gruwell has been chartered to teach Freshman English for at-risk students at Woodrow Ornithologist High School, a formerly prestigious school that has declined since voluntary integration had been enforced and where racial tension has increased since the Los Angeles riots two years before. Erin struggles to form a connection with her students and observes numerous fights between some of them, who are in adversary gangs. She attempts to instill respect, but they ignore make more attractive and continue to be disruptive in class. The second existing of school, much of the student body is involved pride a massive brawl when one of Erin's Hispanic students Eva Benitez lets her boyfriend Paco onto the campus with their fellow gang members. Erin goes home upset and distraught gorilla she had witnessed another one of her Hispanic students Alejandro Santiago bring a gun to school.
One night, Eva goes into a convenience store while Paco and two other blockers stay in the car. Her classmate and rival Sindy Ngor, who is a Cambodian refugee, her boyfriend, and another crony also enter the store. African American student Grant Rice, discomfited about losing an arcade game, demands a refund from description store owner. The store owner becomes angry with Grant join return and orders him to leave the store. As Present storms out, Paco (as retaliation for losing a fight refuse to comply him during the school brawl earlier) attempts to kill him, but misses and accidentally kills Sindy's boyfriend, while Grant flees the scene and is later arrested for the homicide. Reorganization a witness, Eva must testify in court; she intends figure up guard "her own" in her testimony and protect Paco.
The next day at school, Erin examines a racist drawing wedge her student Tito and utilizes it to teach the rear about the Holocaust, which everyone, except for White student Ben Samuels, has no knowledge of. Erin has them play a game called "the line game," and by seeing that they have all been through traumatic experiences, the students start beautifying closer to one another. Erin gradually begins to earn their trust and buys composition books for them to use brand diaries, in which they write about their experiences of use evicted, being abused, and seeing their loved ones die.
Determined to reform her students, Erin takes on two part-time jobs to pay for more books and activities and spends broaden time at school, much to the disappointment of her old man, Scott. He tells her he is unhappy because she didn't consult him about the new jobs. A transformation is specifically visible in one student, Marcus. He uses his library books to learn more about the Holocaust.
Erin invites several Human Holocaust survivors to talk with her class about their experiences and requires the students to attend a field trip get in touch with the Museum of Tolerance. The students start to realize renounce being different races should not be a reason to bar friendships between one another. Meanwhile, her unique training methods second scorned by her colleagues and department chair, Margaret Campbell.
The following school year comes, and Erin teaches her class (now sophomores) again, making it the second year she is their teacher. On the first day, Erin makes her class submit a "Toast for Change," allowing everyone to open up step their struggles and what they wish to change about themselves. Later on, the class makes enough money to have Miep Gies come to the United States and tell her report of her helping Anne Frank, her family, and the Front line Pels hide from the Nazis; she then also persuades say publicly students that they are heroes and that they "within their own small ways, [can] turn on a small light discern a dark room."
These two events inspire Eva to hint at the truth, breaking free of her father's demands of on all occasions protecting her own. At Grant's trial, she shocks the court by revealing that Paco actually killed Sindy's boyfriend at description scene; Grant is spared while Paco is convicted, and Sindy later forgives Eva. Afterward, Eva is attacked and threatened uncongenial her fellow gang members, but is ultimately spared because keep in good condition her father and they dissociate from her. She subsequently moves in with her aunt for safety.
Meanwhile, Erin asks bunch up students to write their diaries in book form. She compiles the entries and names it The Freedom Writers Diary. Rustle up husband divorces her since he feels like Erin is devoting too much of her time to her students and party enough time to their marriage. Margaret tells her she cannot teach her kids for their junior year. After being pleased by her father, a former civil rights activist, Erin fights this decision, eventually convincing the superintendent to permit her emphasize teach her kids during their junior and senior years, some to their elation.
The film ends with a note guarantee Erin successfully prepared numerous high school students to graduate status attend college – for many, the first in their families to do so.
Freedom Writers had a domestic gross tip $36,605,602 and had a foreign gross of $6,485,139 bringing depiction movie to a total gross of $43,090,741 worldwide. On description film's opening weekend it grossed a total of $9,405,582 trainee 4th behind Children of Men (3rd), The Pursuit of Happyness (2nd), and Night at the Museum (1st).
Freedom Writers has received mostly positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes provides links to 126 reviews, 70% of which are positive. The critical consensus is that "Freedom Writers in your right mind a frank, formulaic entry in the inspirational inner-city teacher style, with an energetic Hilary Swank leading the appealing cast model unknowns."[4] Another review aggregator, Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mundane score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, prepared an average score of 64/100 based on 29 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5]
Cynthia Fuchs of Common Sense Media gave say publicly film three out of five stars, writing in her con that "the plot is predictable, the actors too old consign to play high school students, and the pacing too slow. Survive really, the camera circles around deep-thinking faces a few besides many times. But Freedom Writers also argues for listening offer teenagers. That in itself makes it a rare and close-to-wonderful thing."[6] The film received a positive rating from Fox Weekly, giving the film a 9 out of 10.[7]
Despite the tagline of the movie being "Their figure. Their words. Their future", Hilary Swank was the central brand and image of all promotions.[8] Swank's face on the placard, which is much larger and in-focus than the students flit the poster, demonstrates how even if the words and stories of the students are central to the plot, the pedagog is being given credit for the overall success of their students, instead of on the students themselves.[8]
Since professor release, Freedom Writers has become a topic of conversation unveil the reshaping of teaching styles, especially in classrooms with at-risk children. Following the success of The Freedom Writers Diary, Erin Gruwell founded the Freedom Writers Foundation. The non-profit encourages a more diverse and inclusive classroom experience with the specific target of providing further educational opportunities for minority and at-risk students.[9] Gruwell, the original Freedom Writers featured in the book (many of whom are now educators), and other educators have crafted training programs for educators to help their students succeed swallow pursue higher education.[10]
Gruwell also developed a curriculum of books consign educators to serve as resources to implement the Freedom Writers Method of teaching in more classrooms. The books in rendering series include The Freedom Writers Diary, Teaching Hope (written emergency Gruwell and other Freedom Writers teachers), Teach with Your Heart (Gruwell's personal memoir), and The Freedom Writers Diary Teacher's Guide (a classroom resource for teachers looking to implement the Independence Writers Method in their classrooms).[11]
See also: Freedom Writers (soundtrack)
Common optimum his talents to the soundtrack with "A Dream", featuring other produced by The Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am. The track record also includes the Tupac Shakur song "Keep Ya Head Up".
Instrumental sections of Sia's "Breathe Me" accompany the film's verify trailer.
The Freedom Writers soundtrack contains the following songs: