girlhood documentary megan diagnosis

airs Sundays at 9 p.m. In the documentary Girlhood, Liz Garbus follows two young women who have encountered numerous misfortunes in the past that led them to implement their violent offences. The staff person made it clear that she wasnt there on official business. recently followed up with Megan to see what had happened after the show. Required fields are marked *. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Miriam Kruishoop ( Greencard Warriors) has signed on to write and direct Hood Girls, a narrative feature based on the life stories of the two subjects of Liz Garbus ' 2003 documentary Girlhood . ''Girlhood,'' which follows Shanae and Megan over three years beginning in 1999, doesn't pretend that a place like Waxter can hope to do the job by itself. In the end, it seems the title Girlhood is both revealing and a misnomer: this film is about the liminal space of girlhoods colored by destabilizing events in their lives (and the larger systems and circumstances dictated by a society that easily discards the humanity of girls, people of color, queer people, differently abled people and poor people). Early in the film it is apparent that Shanae doesnt really feel remorseful for the murder of her friend. This confused young girl ran away from ten foster homes and wound up attacking another . Your email address will not be published. We follow them over a period of about three years. These girls are the subjects of Liz Garbus' documentary, Girlhood. Megan admits that when she leaves Waxter she will only be going back to another foster home. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. The girls tragic relationships with their mothers, their struggles with sexuality, their experiences with rape and sexual assault, drug use and poverty have shaped their lives in and out of jail. Shanae Owens and Megan Jensen in girlhood. See production, box office & company info. [Write my essay for me? Get help here.]. 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. It is also quite clear that the staff at Waxter have a special affection for her despite her antics. 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). You'll get a detailed solution from a subject matter expert that helps you learn core concepts. Challenging Attachment Revise AS Level Psychology. Its no wonder. 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). Hanna has won numerous writing awards. Second, Shanae develops a positive outlook. 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. Documentary chronicling America's justice system. But in [Garbus] attempt to give their lives a shape that the girls themselves seem to resist, this talented filmmaker has done both herself and them a disservice.. As the documentary end, it is clear that Megan is afraid to trust others. 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!). It is a sign of her resiliency that she manages to handle a tragedy that would have unsettled more wobbly teenagers. By Kate Durbin 07/14/2021. 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. Then, she got up and walked off set. Just check our reviews! But Megan seemed like a lost cause as her pleas for love go unanswered and her unchanged bad behavior goes unchecked, as she gets into a verbal spat with mom and splits. Megan's mother was a drug-addled prostitute, and after being placed in, and escaping from, nearly a dozen foster homes, Megan committed a violent crime. Her father's locked up. 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. 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. We now have the best team of essay writers in the world. Documentary chronicling America's justice system. This difference in their experiences seems to be related to their familial relationships. No matter how optimistic I am, when I am reaching out to young women, I need to understand different backgrounds. In one of the scenes, she even says that no one loves her. I believe that you cant examine this increasing youth crime problem among girls without studying how the capitalist system effects social conditions. Girlhood focuses on the life of two young juveniles, Shanae Owens and Megan Jensen both incarcerated for violent crimes. The system essentially gives up on trying to control her and turns her loose to fend for herself. So the question is to what degree do we all have to support children whose families cant? Megan also shows that she has self-efficacy. I have three lovely kids," she says. The first example is how wary she is of strangers (Eysenck, 2015). 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. 1103 Words. At one point she tells her parents that the girl she murdered actually has it easy because shes just dead whereas Shanae is suffering because she is in detention. 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. Shanae moves into a lower security halfway house because her mother does not feel ready to take her back home. 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. When Megans mom got released from jail, she even lived there for awhile. Megan, after a failed escape attempt from Waxter, goes into another foster home. "I don't want to do this no more.". The film will center on two prisoners serving. 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. The length of her stay at Waxter will depend on whether she can acknowledge what she did and show appropriate remorse. The DVD has an interesting commentary by Liz Barbus, whose filmogarphy is also provided. Even though she has been through the trauma of murdering another girl, it seems like the rape ordeal was the first trauma that led to the myriad of deviant behavior (Garbus, 2003). 794 Words. Assignment #2 In class we viewed documentary titled Girlhood, the film surrounded two teenage girls named Megan and Shanae. Shanaes development has been disrupted. The third is her reluctance to become close with others. I think this movie proves this country gives children nothing but lip service. The number of girls incarcerated for violent crimes is on the rise. "I was really, really, really confused at the time," Megan says. 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. She tries to reach out to her mother multiple times despite being disappointed numerous times. Running time: 88 minutes. In an interview with NPR, the films director, Liz Garbus, admits that Girlhood was originally a documentary about incarcerated boys, but the girls stories were more interesting to her. The disrupted attachment led to a paradoxical relationship with the caregivers in Waxter (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010). Other aspects reveal themselves when she grows older. murdering another girl after the two got into an argument. 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. Her emotional responses are not well adjusted. We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. After watching the documentary, it is easy to see that Megans environment has contributed greatly to her childhood and ultimately her adult life. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. She angrily lashes out at the girl, but shows no remorse when she finds out that she died. 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. As you watch it, you wish the film would fill in more of each girl's background. The film is told from the girls subjective viewpoint and plays as a coming of age story. With the help of her mother, Shanae can graduate from high school. Filled with a new sense of hope and ambition, Megan got her life together, pursuing an education and focusing on her family. EDPY 303.005 Dr. Armstrong 08 May 2018 Girlhood (2003) Documentary Introduction: The topics presented in this paper include the effects of trauma on two young girls and their incarceration after committing violent assaults. To think that one out of two might have straightened out her life, is not saying that the system works. As much of my work is with teenage girls in high school, this issue is both personally and professionally relevant to me, however, I often wonder if girls are really becoming more violent or if our society is just admitting something that has always gone on but we didnt know how to label because of our stereotypical image of girls and women as somehow less aggressive than men. Throughout the film, we are sympathetic to the challenges of Shanae and Megans girlhoods, but cannot substantively grasp, through the documentary, the unresolved nature of their status, as girls in a system that seeks to destroy not just girlhood, but life beyond girlhood too. Volatile, articulate and desperately needy, Megan seethes with bitterness at having been abandoned by her mother, Vernessa, a heroin addict and prostitute, who has spent many years in prison. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.This Documentary/Film \"Girlhood\" is not for any personal financial profit or gain to TheeSymphony'sCulture Channel, but instead only for educational purposes and cultural research. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center. And now I'm doing this film about a little girl, and in many ways she's a precursor to Megan. The protagonists are Shanae Owens and Megan Jensen. Confronted with her crime, Shanae is strangely detached and has little memory of the incident. In the documentary, we learn that she runs away from foster care eleven times, ten before Waxter and once more after leaving Waxter. Most of these reasons were actually some of the primary themes in Liz Garbus' documentary Girlhood, which followes the lives of these young women for three years from the . Megan grew up without the love and support of her mother who was in prison for drugs and prostitution. she has come a long way from this documentry i love and am so proud of my sistrr. Megan grew up without the love and support of her mother who was in prison for drugs and prostitution. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/girlhood What factors do you think played a part in . The difference between one girl supposedly climbing out of her bad situation and the other continuing in her dead-end path, is seen as a matter of good parenting and a child willing to change her bad ways. This time around, she focuses her attention on two young women in Waxter Juvenile Facility near Baltimore, Maryland. http://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-14-et-girlhood14-story.html MPAA rating: Unrated. By end fil There are a number of reasons for why Shanae was able to turn her life around whereas Megan was not. What was particularly sad was the uninspired rehabilitation measures tried by the staff at Waxter, as the girls received little help that was useful and seemed to be going buggy in an atmosphere where the staff might have been decent but were certainly clueless on how to treat the girls. That roster includes ''The Farm: Angola, U.S.A,'' an acclaimed film about the largest maximum-security prison in the United States, and ''The Execution of Wanda Jean,'' a sympathetic portrait of the first black woman executed in America in the last 50 years. A narrative feature based on the two subjects of Liz Garbus' 2003 documentary "Girlhood," young female inmates Shanae Watkins and Megan Stahl, is in the works. However, her mother is a struggling drug addict who is unable to offer the care and support that she required. Garbus followed Shanaes suggestion and was determined to include her in her film. The structure of Waxter allowed Megan to be a child, the streets provide no structure and force her to be more of an adult than most adults ever have to be. "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" Both girls are likable, smart young women struggling to overcome traumatic backgrounds. With the girls going nowhere at Waxter, they were given a new lease on life by changing facilities. 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. Abandoned by her mother, a heroin addict turned prostitute, Megan ran away from then different foster homes before being arrested on assault charges. The primary objective of the film is an exploration into the social implications for the increase of crime committed by young women such as Shanae and Megan. With its drab green walls and sparse furnishings, Waxter is no country club. "I just lost all respect for myself," she says. Megan also leaves Waxter. Third, Shanae becomes emotionally expressive. Shanae's reentry into society was easy, and she does not seem to be struggling in any way. What Shows Have Been Renewed or Canceled. 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. Documentary chronicling America's justice system. 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. 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. Gender Roles In The Film Girlhood. 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. In this field, deadlines are super important. Once Shanae begins to face the reality of what she did, she is transferred to a group home and begins to flourish. She specializes in academic writing, copywriting, business plans and resumes. She is briefly reunited with her mother but cannot forgive her for not being there when she needed her most. It indicates that she is wary of strangers (Garbus, 2003). Antoinette does her best in extremely difficult circumstances. AMCTheatres.com or AMC App New. 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. The film pivots from the girls to their relationships with their moms, as Garbus follows their development from girls into young ladies. 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. This presumption is damaging because ultimately Garbus makes uncomplicated subjects of the girls. At 14, she was hit by a stray bullet during a gunfight. As Oprah questioned Megan about her current situation and plans for the future, the teen grew visibly agitated. In the second segment, she runs away from foster homes to try to live with her mother. She had many problems communicating with her foster parents, and she ran away ten times before she had even been arrested for aggravated assault. April 24, 2023. In the film's most compelling scenes Megan confronts Vernessa, who has been released from prison and who professes her love and determination to be an anchor for her daughter. Garbus interest in and empathy for her subjects and, more importantly, the way in which she relays their girlhood, makes for an entertaining and emotional documentary, but perhaps an incomplete one. Your email address will not be published. At the beginning of the documentary, Shanae and Megan are 14 and 16, serving time for murder and assault, respectively. 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. Megan on the other hand, has a more difficult time staying out of trouble and maintaining good grades. 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. Garbus rigidity in framing the girls experiences does not allow for the expansiveness and complexity allowed by new theories of girlhood. The film then changes focus on Megan and her deteriorating relationship with her mother. Open Document. Megan, the more unruly of the two is a little older than Shanae. Film Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Even though she does not get the chance to further her education, she avoids returning to a life of crime (Garbus, 2003). This may be a psychological scar due to her relationship with her mother. Shanae and Megans story has reached a large audience and even caught the attention of talk show host Oprah Winfrey, however, many are critical of its overambitious attempts and lack of direction. 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. On the other hand, Girl Hood creates an uncomfortable comparison between Shanae and Megan and their relationship with their mothers. [ClickEssay Writerto order your essay]. Girlhood misses some of the nuance of the girlhoods that it seeks to document in a few ways. At twelve years old Shanae was involved in a fight that ended with Shanae stabbing and killing a young girl. Copyright 2022 My Essay Writer. Additionally, the film has also been criticized for ignoring the workers at Waxter. However, after the collective effort from her mother and rehabilitation officers, she becomes emotionally expressive. The girls have traumatic experiences that affect their relationship with others. While Shanae told her own story -- murdering another girl after the two got into an argument -- and shared remorse for her violent actions, Megan seemed much more guarded. 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. So what will be the fate of Shanae and Megan when they leave Waxter? Megan, 16, was also involved in a fight and was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon. The documentary follows the plight of Megan and Shanae (Garbus, 2003). In the movie, we were able to watch two female offenders in the juvenile justice system. I think this is key to Shanaes eventual success. When she originally returned to Baltimore, Megan's life went downhill. The project, titled "Hood Girls," will be written and directed by Miriam Kruishoop ("Greencard Warriors") and produced by Atlantic Screen Productions. The popular phrase "Out of sight, out of mind" expresses the indifference of most Americans toward young offenders serving time in juvenile facilities. Megan admits to having a special relationship with a fellow inmate which seems to be of a romantic nature. "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.". In contrast to Shanae, who has a great deal of family love and support, Megan only receives letters from her mother sporadically, and in one scene in the film desperately wants to call her grandmother to see if she is going to visit her. Developmental Psychology: Childhood & Adolescence: Childhood and Adolescence. But Garbus way of humanizing, in some instances, obfuscates the complexity of struggle, survival and the bad from the girls girlhood. Once Shanae begins to face the reality of what she did, she is transferred to a group home and begins to flourish. The girls have traumatic experiences that affect their relationship with others. Abruptly, she halted the conversation. You watch Megan go from being a silly little girl at Waxter to being a bitter, angry and hard woman so quickly that you cant help but be reminded of Mr. Godseys point about these girls needing structure. Shanae, on the other hand, received strong support and had to follow strict rules her 32-year-old diabetic mom insisted upon, so that when she was released to her home she had someone to lean on for support. Megan flounders around for a while and is eventually sent to another foster home, which doesn't work out.

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