Movie thoughts -- Speak

I finally watched this Showtime movie (thank you TiVo) after hearing quite a bit about it a couple of months ago, and all I can say is "believe the hype." Actually that's not all I can say, but it's the first thing I'm saying. I'm also going to say: Wow! Great film! Watch it! It seemed a bit challenging -- a year in the life of a high school freshman who was raped over the summer at a party and spends the year trying to cope. But it's not a grim as it sounds, and Kristen Stewart, who appears in virtually every scene in the movie, gives a truly amazing performance. The casting overall is simply perfect: DB Sweeney and Elizabeth Perkins as the clueless, self-involved parents, Steve Zahn as the sympathetic art teacher, and the teen actors are pitch perfect. Few movies capture teen experiences with anything like reality. This one scores on all counts.