Freshman high-school student Melinda has refused to speak ever since she called the cops on a popular summer party. With her old friends snubbing her for being a rat, and her parents too busy to notice her troubles, she folds into herself, trying to hide her secret: that star senior Andy raped her at the party. But Melinda does manage to find solace in her art class headed by Mr. Freeman.
Acting
Kristen Stewart's eyes do what words cannot.
Direction
Jessica Sharzer lets silence scream louder than dialogue.
Production
Perfectly grimy early-2000s high school aesthetic.
Director
Jessica Sharzer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kristen Stewart was 12 during filming, same age as her character—her raw performance predates her Twilight fame by four years.
The 1999 novel was one of the first YA books to address rape directly, and this 2004 adaptation became a stealth classroom staple despite never getting a wide theatrical release.
US
