St.

Joseph School

Brgy. Malasin, San Jose City, Nueva Ecija

End This War

Freedom Writers

Submitted by:

Melissa Louise N. Cawilan

HUMSS – St. Martin de Porres

Submitted to:

Ms. Cassandra Joy Julian

 End This War

Sometimes, we easily judge others based on their physical attributes and standing in life.
We often feel and think highly of ourselves that makes us belittle others without even knowing
the wars they fight every day, and without even trying to understand and accept what they have
to say ─ just like what was shown in Richard Lagravenese’s movie entitled, “Freedom Writers”.
It is a movie adaptation of Erin Gruwell’s book, “The Freedom Writers Diary,” which is based
on a true story that conveyed how racism had and has affected the way how the characters lived.

The story is mainly focused on the life of the Wilson University students in room 203.
All the students in the whole school divided themselves by race, going with the saying, “Birds of
the same feather flock together.” No race should cross the line between another, or else you’ll
get a taste of war ─ that’s the rule. Freshman year 1994, Erin Gruwell (played by actress Hilary
Swank) was assigned as an English teacher for levels freshmen and sophomores, including the
then freshmen in room 203. As early as their first class, the students showed no interest in
listening and learning, and only kept themselves busy minding their own businesses. Two of
them even got into a fight, and no one in the room but Erin seemed to be worried. Throughout
the movie, almost everyone seemed to underestimate Erin’s determination in helping her
students learn, but she still went on because that’s what she loves to do. As it went on, more and
more stories of the students get exposed to Erin and everyone in the class, and they had finally
united as one family. They learned to love, help, and understand each other no matter the color,
no matter the race. They read The Diary of Anne Frank that led them to writing their own.

At first, it seemed like the pace was too fast, but I realized that it was necessary, for us to
see how much of a change Erin has been causing to the children. I pitied her and Scott’s
relationship, though. It was sad how they inflicted damages to each other. The antagonist, Miss
Campbell (Imelda Staunton), did a good job in causing annoyance and discouraging the main
characters. I hadn’t seen any of the actors in a movie before this one (except for the one who
played Miss Campbell, because she was in Harry Potter), but I think their acting was remarkable,
and the twists of everyone’s stories were portrayed very realistically. Some of my favorite
characters are Marcus (Jason Finn) and Eva (April Lee Hernandez). For me, the emotions they
showed were so raw and real. I admire Erin’s passion and perseverance to teach and help her

1
students. Andre (Mario) was also one of the characters who left a mark in my heart. One
character really touched my heart. It was when they celebrated first day of school, sophomore
year. There’s this guy who read his diary and what he had written was so heartwarming. I almost
cried when he shared that to the whole class. His name wasn’t mentioned, as far as I can
remember, but he was the one who said, “I walk inside the classroom and feel as though all the
problems in life are not so important anymore. I am home.” I thought he was the purest. Every
student in room 203 had his own story to tell, and I love and appreciate their bravery to share
whatever was bothering them; whatever war they had inside. When they went on a tour about the
victims of the Holocaust, it just showed how big and soft their hearts were. I also appreciated the
courage of the real survivors of the said chaos. I’m happy for them.

I love the flow of the story. It is very timely, considering how racism is one of the major
issues the world is facing right now. It can give a lot of lessons to the people who’d watch it.
They might empathize to those who are affected, or even relate to it because for me, the actors’
acting was very effective. I couldn’t imagine any other artists portraying their roles better. The
production design of the movie was great, too. It didn’t even seem like they were filming in a set.
Every day seemed just ordinary, with nothing special. The students’ houses, the streets, the
school, etc., looked natural. I also appreciate the music they used. It’s not really my type of
genre, but I believe that music tells a lot about what and how someone feels.

What didn’t work out so well with me was Scott and Erin’s relationship. I just thought
Scott would be understanding and could accept what his wife wants and loves to do, but they
divorced instead. I think I understand, though. He must’ve needed more affection and attention
from Erin. Aside from that, I think everything else worked well for me because I loved the movie
overall ─ the twists and turns, the main characters, and so on. I would surely recommend this to
others because it seems like an underrated movie. I think our class, together with our adviser,
should watch this, because I feel like everyone would relate to the movie.

On a scale of 1-5, I give “Freedom Writers” a perfect 5.