She's Too Young
| She's Too Young | |
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| Directed by | Tom McLoughlin |
| Produced by | Michael Mahoney |
| Written by | Richard Kletter |
| Starring |
Alexis Dziena Mike Erwin Marcia Gay Harden Megan Park |
| Music by | Mark Snow |
| Distributed by | Lifetime |
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Release date
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Running time
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88 minutes |
| Language | English |
She's Too Young is an American made-for-TV movie released in 2004, starring Marcia Gay Harden as the mother of a 14-year-old daughter who is involved in sexual acts hidden from her parents. The film deals with the issues of drugs and alcohol, peer pressure, parenting an adolescent, the influence of the sexually-driven media, teen partying, and syphilis. The movie was shot in Halifax, Nova Scotia with the school scenes being shot at Halifax West High School. Though the film does not acknowledge this outwardly, the events of this film were partly inspired by a syphilis outbreak that occurred in a well-off suburb of Atlanta in 1996, where over 200 teenagers were exposed. The incident was chronicled in a Frontline U.S. TV Series episode called "The Lost Children of Rockdale County".
The film showcases three 14-year-old girls: Dawn (Miriam McDonald), Becca (Megan Park), and Hannah (Alexis Dziena). Hannah soon finds herself on the receiving end of peer pressure from her friends to engage in oral sex with Nick Hartman, a typical 16-year-old egotistical "man-whore" whom Hannah likes. She believes that she has to behave in a particular fashion in order to fit in with her more sexually-active peers. As Hannah becomes more sexually "advanced", she does not reveal her sexual encounters and activities with Nick to her mother, who is quite concerned about the subject. Hannah regards her mother's concern as being intrusive, knowing she would be shocked if she knew. When Hannah's best friend Dawn gets syphilis (albeit being referenced in a nonchalant matter), the school nurses begin widespread testing. It soon becomes evident that the school is experiencing a syphilis epidemic. Although Nick is identified as the main spreader of the disease, he does not appreciate the serious nature of the issue and refuses to be tested, mocking those who undergo testing. Dawn reluctantly gets tested and discovers that she has contracted the disease. She realizes the consequences of her behavior and encourages her friends to get tested as well. Hannah notices a sore in her mouth one morning and decides to see the nurse, who tells Hannah that she is also infected. Thus, Hannah is forced to deal with the consequences of her actions.
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