Freedom writers is a 2007 American film starring Hilary Swank, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton and Patrick Dempsey. Its based
on the book
‘The Freedom Writers Diary’ by teacher Erin Gruwell.
The story
The movie opens with a footage of the Los Angeles riots in 1992 and introduces Eva, whose father was wrongly arrested for a drive-by shooting. She goes to Wilson High School because her parole officer threatened her with boot camp. The long beach high school and its area is a place for gang war and hatred mixed with racism exists. Meanwhile, Erin Gruwell, a first time teacher gets a job teaching English at Wilson High School. She is shocked to see a fight breaking out in her classroom and a gang battle at the school. Her students are ill mannered and do not listen to the instructions. They back chat to her as well.
One night, Eva and a refugee, sandy are in a store. A student, Grant Rice is frustrated because he lost a game. As he storms out of the store, Eva’s boyfriend tries shooting him but accidentally killing Sindy’s boyfriend.
At school, Gruwell draws a racist drawing of a student and uses it to teach about Holocaust. Gradually, the students start trusting her and buys them books to record their dairy where they write about when they were abused, seeing their friends die and being evicted. She decides to reform her students and she takes two part time jobs. She spends more time in school, to the disappointment of her husband, Scott. Her students start behaving with respect and learn more.
Another school year arrives, and in class, they decide to invite Miep Gies to talk with them about her experiences when hiding Anne Frank.
But when Marcus tells her that she is his hero, she denies it, claiming she was doing the right thing. But her denial causes Eva to rethink about lying during her testimony. And when she testifies, she finally breaks down and tells the truth. Meanwhile, Gruwell gives her students a project to write their diary in the form of a book. She gets the projects together, making a book and names it ‘The Freedom Writers Diaries.’ her husband divorces her and the film ends with a note that Gruwell successfully brought many of her students to graduation and college.
Soundtrack
A dream - produced by Black Eyed Peas
Keep Ya Head Up - Tupac Shakur
Rating
PG - 13 for violent content, some thematic material, and language.
Cast
Hilary Swank as Erin Gruwell
Scott Glenn as Steve Gruwell
Patrick Dempsey as Scott Casey
Imelda Staunton as Margaret Campbell
April Lee Hernández as Eva Benitez
Mario as Andre Bryant
Kristin Herrera as Gloria
Jaclyn Ngan as Sindy
Sergio Montalvo as Alejandro
Jason Finn as Marcus
Deance Wyatt as Jamal
Vanetta Smith as Brandy
Gabriel Chavarria as Tito
Hunter Parrish as Ben
Antonio García as Miguel
Dan Fleury as Eric Fee
Giovonnie Samuels as Victoria
John Benjamin Hickey as Brian Gelford
Robert Wisdom as Dr. Carl Cohn
Pat Carroll as Miep Gies
Will Morales as Paco
Oj Simpson as Pablo