Speak is a novel that was written by Laurie Halse Anderson in 1999, it was later adapted to film and directed by Jessica Sharzer in 2004. She co-wrote the film due to the occasional problems on set, that hindered her ability to stay completely true to the book. There are minor differences between the book and film, but for the most part it stays pretty on target. Today I would like to focus solely on the impact and influence on the book. Though if the book was never written, this film would not exist. If you haven’t read the book, I would highly encourage you to do so. Also if you want to read the book or watch the movie than don’t look further because there will be spoilers.
The IMDB synopsis for Speak is as follows “After a blurred trauma over the summer, Melinda enters high school a selective mute. Struggling with school, friends, and family, she tells the dark tale of her experiences, and why she has chosen not to speak.”
I watched this film during high school, after I had finished reading it with the class, we watch the movie later. My english teacher explained that this film had premiered once at a festival and went straight to video. That makes sense given that this film isn’t as well known to most people. But little did I know of that weight that this film carried.
We follow the character of Melinda Sordino who is entering high school as a freshman. Our first introduction of Melinda is her in her bedroom with lines drawn on her lips, as if they were stitched together. The flash backs of the incident are interwoven into our current plot. Thus we get a good understanding of where our main protagonist was and is.
To me the significance of nature is evident through out the film. How someone can be so traumatized by a specific event that the physical environment and atmosphere in which they were in can work against them. To illustrate my point further, during the sequence where Melinda was recalling the incident, the immediate aftermath of when she is raped, it shows her in the car looking up at the tree screaming and crying. This scene proved to me, that even something as trivial and beautiful as a tree, when associated with something horrific, can have deteriorating effects that leaves a sting which can continue on for however long. But also how the individual can use that fear to their advantage. For instance, on the first day of school in the art class, Melinda draws a tree. This at first may not seem like much, but when you truly think about the significance of that tree, you understand it’s place in Melinda’s life. Melinda then goes on to draw different variations of that tree, more and more illustrations of it on a variety of canvas’s. By the end of the film, Melinda shows her art teacher all of her creations on the wall, which are the many trees that she drew. The art teacher recognizes the beauty of it and so does Melinda. Something that once was a source of discomfort, can be turned on it’s head and made into something deeply personal, but beautiful. This played a very small but beneficial part of Melinda’s healing process.
This film is also a very honest and realistic portrayal of someone, particularly a younger person, who is dealing with trauma. You have to credit Kristen Stewart’s excellent performance, and Jessica Sharzer’s great direction. This is a slow film, but it feels very much warranted. It is reflective, touching, devastating, but emotionally resonant. That’s why I feel like it has aged so well, it still feels relevant even for today’s standards. It’s not overly cheesy or sappy every emotion feels right and earned. This film is personal for a lot of people and more people need to see it.
Cedric Cinema 