This film is directed by Richard LaGravenese, who is well known in the industry. The idea for the film came from journalist Tracey Durning, who made a documentary about Erin Gruwell for the ABC News program. It was released on January 5th, 2007. Do you have a mentor or need a mentor in your life like Mrs. Gruwell?

This movie is based on a true story and the journals of real Long Beach teenagers after the L.A. fights that were happening, Freedom Writers is an inspirational movie to courage hope and the human spirit's. Hilary Swank stars in this story about a teacher in a racially divided school who gives her students what they've always needed, someone to talk to. Hilary Swank plays Erin Gruwell, the real-life teacher at Long Beach's Wilson High who inspired her students to overcome the gangs that divided them and the education system that forgot them. Based on the book The Freedom Writers Diary and the characters were people who drew from their actual experiences on the street, Gruwell teaches us all an important lesson about tolerance and trust.

At school, Gruwell receives a racist drawing by one of her high school students and utilizes it to teach them about the Holocaust. She gradually begins to earn their trust and buys them journals so they can express their thoughts and how they feel, in which they talk about their experiences of being abused, seeing their friends die, and being evicted. She was very determined to better her high school students, Gruwell takes on two part-time jobs to pay for more books and spends a lot more time at school, much to the disappointment of her husband.  Who is very disrespectful and was being very selfish about the whole situation. Her students start to behave with respect and discover a lot more.

This film has made me realize that not everyone is as blessed as I am. Seeing the different environment the students lived in was very sad for me to see because it’s showed how it affected them as individuals and how it took a toll on their everyday lives and education.

Mrs. Gruwell, took the intuitive to help people that really needed to find their selves. Because of this, she received major respect from her students. From seeing this, I gained respect for her as a teacher and as an individual. Not all teachers care enough to help the students, they don’t care if they pass or fail their class, or their lives.

Freedom Writers made me realize that there are really people in life who want you to succeed and will try to help you accomplish your goals. She made me have a different view towards teachers and I’m sure if people have dealt with situations like the students in the movie, they would feel the same way. I think that every student needs a teacher or mentor in their life that’s like Mrs. Gruwell.

A few things that they could’ve done different with this movie is making the characters younger. They said the students were freshman, but they looked like graduates! I was a little confused at the beginning of the movie. If they wouldn’t have stated that the students were freshman then I would’ve never guessed it. They also should’ve made the movie more believable because the students adapted to the teacher quite fast and we all know, in real life that wouldn’t have happened that quickly. Over all the movie was good, the moral of the story was quite obvious which is very good. I would recommend this movie to you all!