Strumpets

Movie: The Gloucester 18

My Rating: 3 stars

So, I’ve been checking out some if the latest indie films on Preescreen.com.  I like the idea that directors are able to offer their films through this website without having to wait on a deal with some big distributor.  It’s probably pretty hard to find a good deal, especially since most of these indie films have a pretty limited target market.  And, not everyone can make it to every film festival.  So, I’m glad there’s a place I can go online to stream some of the movies I may have missed.  The first film I streamed through this website is a documentary about those eighteen, shameless, high-school hussies in Massachusetts, who supposedly had a pact amongst their group to all get teen-pregnant together.  This was a pretty interesting film, especially since the director, John Michael Williams, was one of the very few people who was ever granted access to these girls and their families to do interviews.  When the story first broke, there were a few daytime television programs that snagged some early appearances, but the community pretty much went on lockdown not long after.  So, this documentary offers a few stories that were previously unreported.

It’s a pretty interesting subject matter, even if I just watched it so that I could gawk at these little strumpets.  And, everyone’s always interested in a racy tale, even though they might not admit it.  These little girls are such idiots!  They swear up and down that they would never want to be a teen mom, and comment on how difficult their pregnant friends must have it.  But, then they keep whoring it up around town, and what do you know, next month they’re pregnant too.  There’s absolutely no understanding of cause and effect here.  I hear the argument that these girls come from a working class background, where teen pregnancy is a pretty normal thing, and isn’t stigmatized.  But, I don’t know if I totally buy it.  Just about all the girls in this film come from nice families with parents that want them to get good educations.  Maybe it’s the whole abstinence education thing.  You’re not ever going to stop hormone-crazed teens from messing around with each other.   So, if you refuse to teach them how they can prevent themselves from getting knocked up, or refuse to give them access to birth control, then I guess you deserve what you get.  And seriously, when’s the last time teenagers did what their parents asked them to do?  They’re not exactly known for making the best decisions in the world.

This documentary really felt like more of an episode of 60 Minutes than a film.  It really felt like it was edited for television, even though it was feature length.  It would been a perfect one-hour special.  As a result, the film felt a little bit longer than necessary.  But, I guess the film can always be edited down if the director ever decided to go that route.  Better than having to add extra footage later.