I Speak You
Rubi Strycker
Speak is a 2004 American coming-of-age teen drama film written and directed by Jessica Sharzer in her feature directorial debut, based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Laurie Halse Anderson. Starring Kristen Stewart, Michael Angarano, Robert John Burke, Eric Lively, Elizabeth Perkins, D. B. Sweeney, and Steve Zahn, the film follows Melinda Sordino (Stewart), a high school freshman who stops talking after senior student Andy Evans (Lively) rapes her at a party.
Speak premiered out of competition at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2004, and was broadcast on Showtime and Lifetime on September 5, 2005.[1] The film received critical acclaim, with particular praise for Stewart's performance.
Fourteen-year-old Melinda Sordino begins her first year in high school and struggles on the first day. She has no friends, and appears uncomfortable when speaking to others. Throughout the day, she is made fun of by several students, repeatedly called a "squealer". It's revealed that that Melinda called the police to a house party during the previous summer. However, her reason for doing so was because she was raped at the party, by popular senior student Andy Evans, but her trauma prevented her from reporting her assault over the telephone or to the police when they arrived.
When Melinda's parents see her report card, they prompted her to see a teacher named Mr. Neck, who tells her to write an essay on any history topic. After refusing to read her paper aloud to her class, Melinda is sent to the principal's office, where she meets a new student named Heather Billings. Despite seemingly befriending Melinda, Heather soon abandons her when the chance for social advancement arises. The only other student with whom Melinda gets along with is her lab partner, Dave Petrakis, who has successfully managed to avoid affiliating himself with a clique.
Over the year, the restoration of Melinda's confidence progresses at a slow rate, with some help from Dave and her art teacher, Mr. Freeman. When her former best friend, Rachel Bruin starts dating Andy, Melinda fears that Rachel will be assaulted as well. Melinda meets Rachel at the library, and reveals that Andy raped her by writing it on a piece of paper. Rachel initially refuses to believe Melinda, thinking that Melinda is lying out of jealousy. However, Rachel soon realizes the truth when confronting Andy; who mentions Melinda's name, despite supposedly never meeting any of Rachel's friends before. Seeing Andy's lies and misogyny, Rachel leaves him and spreads the truth of Melinda's assault to the other students.
Exposed as a rapist and a liar, Andy soon corners and threatens Melinda in a custodian closet. Andy demands Melinda take back her accusation, attempting to rape her again. In the struggle, Melinda overpowers him, blinding him with turpentine and holding a shard of glass from a broken mirror to his neck, threatening to kill him. They are found by Melinda's distant friend Nicole, who along with other girls from her field hockey team, and the altercation removes any doubt about what happened at the house party. The girls help restrain Andy, as Melinda leaves. Mr. Neck sees Melinda walking away from the scene and asks what was going on, but Melinda doesn't respond.
On the way back from the hospital after being treated for her injuries, Melinda rolls down the car window and breathes in deeply. She finally finds the strength to tell her mother, who already suspects something awful, the truth about what happened at the party.
Producer and screenwriter Annie Young Frisbie read the novel and successfully made a bid to get the rights to a film version. Production took place in Columbus, Ohio because a production partner, Matthew Myers, was relocating there with his wife.
Film production took 21 days in August 2003, on a budget of $1 million.[3] Flooding during an especially heavy summer rain caused filming to be temporarily postponed and during that time author Laurie Halse Anderson visited the set with her daughter.[2] Anderson cameos in the film as the lunch lady who gives Melinda the mashed potatoes.
The film premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and played the film festival circuit, including the Woodstock Film Festival. It later aired simultaneously on the cable networks Showtime and Lifetime on September 5, 2005.[3]
Marilyn Moss of The Hollywood Reporter gave an overwhelmingly positive write-up, describing the film as, "well-made and extremely touching." She praised Stewart's performance, saying she gave an "understated performance that will touch everyone who sees [the film]." Moss also praised the score and editing, saying it "merges [Stewart's] character's interior and exterior worlds beautifully."[5] On his YouTube channel, critic Chris Stuckmann gave the film a retrospective positive review, praising Stewart and Zahn's performances, the cinematography, and direction. Stuckmann also said the film feels "at home" for him, because of the filming that took place in Ohio (Stuckmann's home state).[6] Barbara Shulgasser-Parker of Common Sense Media gave the film a rating of four out of five stars, and called it, "a startlingly good film on what has become a familiar subject in both fiction and life." She praised Stewart's performance and the direction.[7] Although Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times opined the film "comes nowhere near capturing the wise, subtle tone of the book it's based on", "[it] is still an effective treatment of a difficult subject, thanks almost entirely to the performance of Kristen Stewart as the young victim."[8]
In 2006, the film was nominated for a Writers Guild Award.[11] Jessica Sharzer was also nominated for a Directors Guild Award in the category of Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs.[3]
For every sexual assault survivor who speaks out, Laurie Halse Anderson knows there many others remaining silent. "If there was a way for every victim of sexual violence to come forward on one day, I think the world would stop spinning for a day," she says.
In her new memoir, Shout, Anderson reveals that she was raped when she was 13, and it took more than two decades before she could find the words to talk or write about it. The book begins: "This is the story of a girl who lost her voice and wrote herself a new one."
When Anderson speaks to student groups about sexual assault and consent, she finds young survivors will often open up to her about their own experiences. Though this surprised her at first, Anderson says she does not feel weighed down by their accounts.
It also made the writing ... a little bit healthier for me. Just like the reader can take a breath in between poems when they are reading a book, as a writer, I was able to step back sometimes and put the work aside, go for a long walk, and not have to worry about losing the narrative through thread.
I was raped when I was 13 and it took me exactly 23 years. The person I told first was my therapist. ... I was kind of a mess and I recognized that I was not being a great mom to my children. It's funny how it's easier sometimes to get help in order so you can help somebody else. It took a couple of months of conversations with my therapist before I felt safe and secure enough with that relationship, and then my life changed the day I opened up and started to speak about what happened.
The story kind of has its roots in me as a mother watching my daughters begin to enter adolescence and realizing that I had to come to grips with everything. We moved once just before my oldest daughter entered sixth grade and she was miserable. ...
It's a gift, because it shows me that this person trusts me, and that I've written or said something that is allowing them to find their voice. Everybody's always hungry for authentic connections with people, right? I've just been so graced with all these moments of real interaction with people, who might be strangers as they walk up to me, but when we're done wiping our eyes ... they're friends when they walk away. My heart is so full from those wonderful encounters.
City Council holds a public comment session, called "COMMUNITY MATTERS", for up to 16 speakers during each regular City Council business meeting, starting generally at 6:30 PM. Speakers may sign up in advance of the meeting for 8 of the 16 slots. You may request a speaking slot starting at 9:00 AM the day after the previous Council meeting through 9:00 AM the day of the Council meeting at which you would like to speak.
If you miss the 9:00 AM signup deadline on Council meeting day, you will have an opportunity during the meeting to raise your hand to speak after pre-registered speakers until a total of 16 slots are filled. There is also time at the end of the meeting for Matters by the Public.
SPEAK is a website to facilitate public participation in House of Delegates Meetings. Citizen involvement in these meetings is easy and provides transparency in how the creation of legislation begins. By visiting the House Meeting Schedule, the public can view all House meetings, signup to speak at them, or provide written testimony for House Committee members' review. Using the "Signup to speak or submit comments" link will take you to that meeting's signup form. This allows users to participate virtually via their phone or computer.
Instructions on how to connect and participate will be provided in advance of the meeting for those citizens that have been added to the speaking list. Please note that time constraints may limit the number of citizens who can speak at a meeting.
It offers built-in note-taking and productivity applications including a book reader, file editor, calendar, address-book, calculator, clock and alarms. It can also connect to smartphones and computers and provides a convenient way to enter text in braille and control the device without having to use touch gestures.
Weighing less than eight ounces, the Orbit Speak is similar in size to modern smartphones, allowing it to fit comfortably in a pocket or purse. Despite its compact size, it provides an ergonomic Perkins-style braille keyboard, with high-quality scissors keys and includes a cursor keypad for navigation.
93ddb68554