Thirteen

A modest but finally very engaging low-budget indie about a year in the life of a taciturn, rather serious black teenager whose increasingly obsessive ambition to buy herself a car leads first to a sudden, unexplained disappearance from home, then to a series of odd jobs which encourage her to lighten up. Set in rural suburbs, this is worlds away from the sex, drugs, rock'n'roll and violence of most US teen dramas, and rings refreshingly true as a result. Thanks to fine performances, mostly from non-professionals, dry humour, and sensitive, compassionate direction, it's a gentle, surprisingly affecting study of everyday aspirations, private dreams, and quiet dignity.