I first watched Freedom Writers when I was 12, now I’m 16 and I still think about this movie.

Freedom Writers was really and truly one of the most impactful films I have ever seen. It is not only based on a book (The Freedom Writers Diary) but both the movie and the book are based on a real story. This story revolves around a new teacher (Erin Gruwell, played by Hilary Swank) who is navigating the ways she can teach and help her students, who for years have been told that they “can’t” or that they “will never succeed”. This movie doesn’t only showcase the story of “The Freedom Writers” but it also showcases the History of Anne Frank and how her story inspired and motivated her 150 students.

The actors did a great job portraying the emotion and struggles that these real life high schoolers went through and I think that’s the real beauty of this film. The way the actors embodied the characters really helped the audience connect with the story. As a young Latina in high school, I really resonated with the character of Eva (April L. Hernandez) because, even today, I also feel a responsibility to stand up and protect my culture and those within my culture. My connection with Eva made this movie 100 times better.

This movie is also really a good for younger audiences because, although it has some really heavy topics, like racism, homelessness, and gang violence, it’s a really easy movie to understand and does a really good job at explaining all the separate stories perfectly. There’s not a lot going on at the same time so younger viewers don’t get lost or confused.

Overall, I truly believe that this is one of the best movies I have ever seen and one of the first movies that really stuck with me and will continue to stick with me for the rest of my life.