As much as I like sci-fi, action, comedy, and so on, my favorite movie genre is drama, but the kind of drama that tells an inspiring story. And Freedom Writers is just that.

This movie based on a true story opens in 1994. Hilary Swank stars as Erin Gruwell, a newbie, idealistic teacher in the Long Beach area of Los Angeles, California. She has big dreams and aspirations of simply teaching kids, but she soon learns that things are not going to be as easy as she thought they would be. Why? Because the kids in her class carry guns, are prone to outbursts of violence, are unruly and couldn’t care less about education, and basically live out their existence in urban war zones.

I laughed at the big smile on her face on her first day… it reminded me of the big smile I was wearing on my first day of pastoring. And like mine, her smile soon faded when she saw what she was up against; the unwillingness of those she was trying to teach and the apathy of her colleagues and peers.

However, as all good inspirational based on true story movies go, during the course of the movie she does eventually manage to inspire the kids to actually want to learn. Her brilliant methods, although frowned upon by other teachers, reminded me of the old adage… give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat everyday.

I found this movie to be very moving. It’s one thing to think of countries like the Philippines, Nigeria, and Burma, as places of major need in this world, but how easy it is to forget that which is happening on our own back door step.

I would recommend Freedom Writers for ages 15+ as it does contain some some bad language and a couple of very unsettling scenes. We see children beating other children, domestic violence, and kids firing guns at one another, including a couple of deaths by shooting – in one scene we see two 7/8 year old boys holding a gun talking about how no-one will ever hurt them again, the gun accidentally goes off and leaves one of them dead.

The movie was produced by Paramount and MTV; needless to say the movie is well produced, though not over produced. I liked that they kept it feeling quite gritty throughout. Of course, being produced by MTV you know there’s going to be lots of music and there is, but Freedom Writers does not fall into the trap of simply becoming an overlong music video like so many other movies before it.

As for the movie’s message? To be honest the movie hits many messages home; the need for racial tolerance, decent education, acceptance, honesty and the basic human need to live for something. For kids who grow up in the all too real world the movie portrays, to instill in them meaning and purpose may be the only thing that saves them from lives of crime, violence, drugs, and prostitution. In short, many of the kids portrayed would not have made it to 18 years old if it hadn’t been for one woman who was willing to take a chance on helping them change their attitudes, minds, hearts, and ultimately their worlds.

Engaging and inspiring, Freedom Writers is similar to many other movies (Lean on Me, Dangerous Minds, School of Life) but is definitely one of the better ones.

For more on The Freedom Writers Organization visit their website.

Christian St John

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