Speak

More than anything, watch SPEAK for Kristen Stewart's raw, honest, beautiful performance. This young actress can convey more with one look than most veterans can with an entire monologue. She reminds me of a young Mary Louise Parker. And as a director, she shot up on my wish list of people I'd one day like to work with!

Aside from Stewart, the film is very well directed, tightly scripted...Steve Zahn is quite good as the art teacher with the heart of gold...

And I love the score, which owes a lot to Neutral Milk Hotel.

But really it's all about Stewart. There isn't one beat of her performance which does not ring true.

Masterful!

It's the first day of school and Melinda Sordino (Kristen Stewart) arrives as a quiet depressed loner. Her old friends like Rachel (Hallee Hirsh) have abandoned her. There was a traumatic event at a summer party that is shown in recurring flashbacks and she is haunted by Andy Evans. She bullied as the Squealor. The only girl talking to her now is peppy new girl Heather. Mr. Neck is the intolerant teacher. Mr. Freeman (Steve Zahn) is her kind art teacher. Her parents (Elizabeth Perkins, D.B. Sweeney) are clueless. Agitator Dave Petrakis is assigned to be her lab partner.

Kristen Stewart is terrific. She makes this not just simply another Lifetime TV teen rape drama. I love the title which is almost a plead for Melinda to speak up. It's the constant refrain at the back of my head throughout this movie. It creates intensity as the audience roots for her to speak up. A couple scenes do hold it back a little. Mr. Neck is pushed too far in one scene where he's almost a cartoon villain. I also think Melinda was a bit too mean to Heather in that one scene. Heather wasn't wrong when she tells her to talk to a professional. She also stuck with her a lot longer than most people would. Other than talking too much, she seems to be a good friend. Also a couple of times, the movie takes on too light of a tone. Overall, this is a compelling teen movie with a great central performance.

The teenager Melinda Sordino (Kristen Stewart) joins the high-school with a great feeling of rejection and becomes practically mute. Her school mates and friends call her "squealer", because she called the police during a summer party; she does not have communication with her mother, Joyce Sordino (Elizabeth Perkins), who is workaholic and is permanently busy; and she has problem with a very radical teacher. She finds a great support with her arts teacher Mr. Freeman (Steve Zahn) and her school friend David Petrakis (Michael Angarano), and recalls her traumatic experience in the summer school, when she was raped, learning how to deal with the situation and reborn mature.

"Speak" is a very simple and linear story, and even in the trailer the predictable trauma of Melinda is disclosed; therefore there are no surprises, plot point or mystery to have a twist in the story. What makes "Speak" a little gem and so special are the realistic story, the excellent direction and the stunning performances, mainly of Kristen Stewart in the role of the traumatized Melinda, learning how to deal with her rape and later rejection by the mates by herself. Steve Zahn is also great in a mature role (I believe this is the first time I see him in this type of character) of a supportive school teacher. The nominations and award of the sensitive director Jessica Sharzer are very fair, but I believe Kristen Stewart deserved also a nomination for her brilliant and awesome performance. I would like to recommend this movie for parents of teenagers. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Silêncio de Melinda" ("The Silence of Melinda")

I saw this movie at Sundance and was very surprised that it went home with no awards. Though I'm not familiar with the book, I can say that Jessica Scharzer does a masterful job of telling a delicate story in a very real and touching way. It is never easy to handle a story about a traumatizing event, but to do it with such sensitivity, in the midst of a HILARIOUS movie, is pure genius. A great deal of the credit must go to Kristen Stewart for her portrayal of a girl whose emotions are always known to the audience, though she hardly ever says a word. Anyone who has been to high school should get a big kick from some of the send-ups in "Speak." And for anyone who has doubted the talents of Steve Zahn, just look for the scene where he sees what Melinda (Stewart) has done in the supply closet.

I hope to see this movie in theaters soon, and I give it my highest recommendation. And no, I don't know anyone who was involved with it. I just wanted to give credit where credit is due. Go see this movie!

I can react to this movie on a number of levels. First of all, it is a wonderful thing that this film was made. It deals with a very real yet very troubling issue, and handles it with sensitivity and hope. This movie has the potential to really help people, and I can't think of a better legacy for a filmmaker.

Despite all that, I wish this would have been a better movie. The pacing of the story seemed wildly out of whack and there were a couple of directorial decisions that could certainly be questioned. On the other hand, Kristen Stewart's performance in the lead role of Melinda was excellent, although the rest of the acting left me flat. (Even Steve Zahn, who I normally love, seemed a bit miscast.) And while the writing didn't grab me, there were enough light-hearted moments to make Melinda's personal anguish bearable for the audience.

Beyond cinema as therapy, the film contained meaningful insights into the potential of artistic expression in healing, the general alienation of being a freshman in high school, or the critical relationship of an individual's will and determination with the healing process. People should see this movie not because of its cinematic excellence but because it has an important and optimistic message.